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Contents 


CHAP. PAGE 

I The Shadow of Coming Events . . 5 

II Enemies and Friends 23 

III “To My Dear Son ” 42 

IV A Matter of Opinion 64 

V In the Camp of the Enemy .... 81 

VI The Storm Clouds Gather .... 98 

VII Lawyer Kirk Shows His Hand . . 1 14 

VIII “ We’ll Keep Our Eyes on Balti- 
more” 127 

IX From Dollie’s Standpoint .... 142 

X Diamond Cut Diamond 158 

XI The Gauntlet is Flung 172 

XII The Disappearance of Tom . . . 188 

XIII “Thirty-One and a Half Albe- 

marle ” 204 

XIV The Red Ballot 224 

XV The Parting of the Ways .... 237 

XVI An Undercurrent 252 

XVII The Hour Approaches 269 

XVIII The Man of the Hour 285 


3 


Contents 


XIX Plot and Counterplot 306 

XX Friends and Foes 320 

XXI Open Warfare 337 

XXII A Night Ride 354 

XXIII The Great Day Arrives .... 374 


4 


Illustrations 


PAGE 

** You’ll get your Cane ! ” declared Joe, indig- 
nantly Frontispiece ^ 

“Don’ yo’ do it, Mars’ Philip!” shouted the 

Black Man 91*^ 

“But, Sir, YOU cannot Have It!” thundered 
Stone 164 

He knew that all Eyes were on Him at 

THAT Moment 235*^ 

The President-elect Listened in Silence . 302 

He made a Flying Leap for the Step . . . 354 • 

“ Now, Sir, I warn You to keep out of my 

Path !” 380 


\ 


The Eve War 


CHAPTEE I 

THE SHADOW OF COMING EVENTS 

The December sun glorified the narrow, hilly 
street and every pendant drop upon tree and bush 
held captive in its heart a tiny rainbow. The rain 
had fallen heavily during the morning, filling the 
gutters with angry brown torrents, on the bosoms 
of which flotsam leaves and other light barges were 
swept down to the canal. Halfway up the hill 
and turning its gabled end to the passer-by,, a 
dwelling of brown plastered walls and high chim- 
neys occupied a little knoll back from the street, 
surrounded by a grove of well-kept trees. The 
terraces of turf between the immediate dooryard 
and the highway were still green, for winter on 
the banks of the Potomac is not very severe. This 
residence — a fit contemporary in age and former 
magnificence with Tudor Place, the Yan Hess 
Mansion, the Octagon House, and the Calhoun 
House on Georgetown Heights — was almost in 
5 


"The Eve ^ War 


sight of the High Street, and but a stone’s throw 
from the old Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. 

Although apparently withdrawn from its neigh- 
bors there was nothing hermit-like about this resi- 
dence. The porch of smooth flags, sheltered by a 
swelling, slated roof upheld by carved wooden 
posts, was broad and furnished with several invit- 
ing chairs and a settee. The wide front door stood 
hospitably open, despite the chill in the air follow- 
ing the rain. And the roguish sun, having played 
hide and seek behind the cloud-banks, now peered 
into the diamond-shaped panes of the lower win- 
dows, setting them all a-glitter. 

A sudden burst of fresh young voices shattered 
the silence of the quiet, old-fashioned street, and 
there appeared at the door of the house a youth 
and a girl ; while behind them, and just within the 
doorway, the shiny, ebon face of a black boy, his 
figure enveloped in a monstrous checked apron, was 
revealed in contrast to their fair complexions. For 
Joe Kansom and Dollie Chesney were wonderfully 
alike in physical appearance, although there was 
no bond of relationship between them. In tem- 
perament, they were at the opposite magnetic poles. 
Joe was calm by nature and slow to wrath, but ob- 
stinate and immovable in opinion when once that 
opinion had been carefully formed. Dollie’s chief 
charm lay in the variety of moods her character 
displayed within the twenty-four hours. She spoke 
6 


The Eve of 


to the black boy with authority : “ What are you 
doing here, Mercury ? Eeturn to your work, or 
Mammy Laura will be after you.” 

“ Ah ain’t gwine ter bover you none. Miss Dollie,” 
declared the black boy. Ah jes’ come ter remin’ 
Mars’ Joe not ter fo’git he’s fishin’ traps, ’f he 
wanter go fishin’ wid me in de mawnin’.” 

Joe laughed as he stepped down from the porch. 
“Merc is going to have a holiday to-morrow, 
Dollie. Mammy Laura’s promised him it for a 
month, and his heart’s set upon going fishing with 
me.” 

“ No, sah ! Yo’ is gwine wid me. Yo’ is my 
gues’,” declared Mercury, importantly. “ An’ 
mammy, she bakin’ de lubliest chicken at dis i-den- 
ti-kal minute dat you eber see.” 

Dollie was already half-way to the gate. “ Do 
come away, Joe,” she said. “You behave as much 
like a child as Mercury. To think of your going 
fishing with that darky! Why, you’re a man 
grown ! ” 

Joe followed her, laughing. “I don’t want to 
feel too big, or too old, while you remain so little, 
Dollie. When are you going to begin to grow ? ” 

The girl tossed her head and went on without re- 
plying. Joe caught up with her, took the outer 
side of the walk, and they fell into step. They had 
turned down the hill. At the corner of the Chesney 
estate stood a rambling stone barn, its end to the 
7 


‘The Eve ^ War 


street and a narrow alley running its entire length, 
with a gate at the upper end opening into the rear 
yard. The sun cast long patches of shadow across 
the uneven sidewalk — attenuated but gigantic re- 
flections of the fence-palings, tree-trunks, and the 
bare posts of the grape arbor. From the lower 
corner of the barn a peculiarly shaped shadow pro- 
truded. It looked like the reflection of a giant 
mushroom, and Joe was about to call the attention 
of his companion to it, when the shadow moved, 
and he knew it to be cast by a man, with a broad- 
brimmed hat upon his head, standing in the alley. 
Puzzled by this, the boy quickly passed behind 
Dollie, and gained the inside of the walk. 

“ Why don’t you remain in your proper place, 
Joe?” cried the girl, in some slight vexation. 
“ You are such a blunderer ! Now, one would 
never have to tell Paul Gladden upon which side of 
a lady he should walk.” 

“No?” responded Joe, absent-mindedly. “All 
you’d have to tell Paul would be to come indoors 
when it rains ! ” His eyes were still fixed upon the 
odd shadow. Suddenly it disappeared. The person 
who cast it had heard their steps, or their voices, 
and was moving away. 

“ What are you staring at ? ” demanded Dollie. 

“Nothing.” They had reached the corner of the 
barn and — the lane was empty ! But Joe was quite 
sure that the tight board gate at the upper end of 
8 


The Eve ^ War 


the passage had just closed, and he was tempted to 
run up there and reconnoitre. “ But perhaps it was 
Uncle Luke,” he thought, and his hesitation was 
but momentary. 

“ Your remark about Paul was very ill-natured,” 
pursued Dollie, with her most elder-sisterly air. 
“ He would not say that about you.” 

“No. Paul has one redeeming trait. He is fairly 
truthful.” 

“ Now, don’t you think you are smart, Mr. 
Joseph Kansom ? You are always slurring Paul 
because he isn’t a big fellow like yourself. But big- 
ness isn’t everything and bravado isn’t bravery.” 

“ A statement filched from Miss Prunell’s address 
to the young ladies of the St. Andrews Seminary,” 
interposed Joe, with a chuckle. “ But Paul Gladden 
is brave, all right. It takes courage to wear the 
ties he sports, for instance. That one he had on 
when he came up to the house last Sunday ” 

“It is most ungentlemanly of you to criticise a 
person’s taste in dress. And as for Paul, I think he 
shows very good taste indeed.” 

“It must be all right, then, Dollie,” said Joe^ 
good-naturedly. “ But seems to me you’re taking up 
cudgels for Paul a good deal lately. I can remem- 
ber when you thought him as big a cad as he is.” 

The girl flushed and her eyes began to sparkle. 
“ I wish you were half the man he is, Joe Kansom ! 
Paul Gladden is ready to stand for his principles, 
9 


The Eve ^ War 


and you — why, you don’t know how you stand, even 
now.” 

The boy looked down at his feet humorously. 
“I’ve pretty sizable understandings of my own, 
Dollie,” he said. 

“ Oh, you can laugh and make fun ! But it is a 
serious matter. We girls know how to treat trait- 
ors. We know Paul Gladden’s opinions. Why, he 
has already applied for membership in the National 
Kifles, and Captain Schaeffer says he is sure of 
election, even if he is under-sized.” 

Instantly a cloud crossed Joe Kansom’s counte- 
nance and he glanced at his companion ruefully. 
“Come, Dollie, we’re not going to quarrel over a 
mere matter of politics. What do we care about 
such things ? Let Congress, and — and — other folks, 
fight it out.” 

“ You call standing for one’s beliefs and opinions, 
for the institutions and freedom of the South, mere 
politics, do you ? Don’t you see more than a polit- 
ical quarrel in it when already South Carolina has 
seceded and has seized the forts in Charleston Har- 
bor, and sent Colonel Barnwell, and Mr. Orr and 
Mr. Adams here to treat with the Federal Govern- 
ment?” 

“Oh, they’re a lot of fire-eaters,” declared Joe, 
with a sigh. “The Union isn’t going to be split up 
just because of that.” 

“ You will find it is serious. And, anyway, we 

lO 


The Eve ^ War 


girls will show our appreciation of the men and 
boys who are ready to fight for the ” 

“For the flag!” interrupted Joe, with a sudden 
flash in his own eyes, and with the involuntary lift- 
ing of his cap from his brown curls. 

Dollie was silenced for a moment ; then she said : 
“ Oh, that old flag isn’t everything.” 

“ It is everything to me,” returned Joe, still seri- 
ously. “ My father fought for it in Mexico ; my 
grandfather carried it into every sea and clime in 
the War of 1812; his father fell under it at York- 
town. And I — well, I reckon I won’t have to 
worry about choosing a new flag yet awhile,” and 
his speech ended with a smile. “ People are a little 
hot over the election, that’s all. This man Lincoln 
won’t be in but four years, anyway. And he may 
turn out better than we think.” 

“ He’s a Black Abolitionist I ” gasped Dollie. 
“ He will free all the slaves and turn them loose to 
prey on the Southern people,” declared the girl, re- 
peating the prophecies of the more rabid Southern 
papers of the day. 

“Well, Major Chesney freed his slaves before he 
came to Washington.” 

“ Grandfather is an old man,” said Dollie. 

“And I’m a pretty young one,” laughed Joe. 
“ So much more reason for my following his ex- 
ample.” 

“ Grandfather will never uphold you in playing 
1 1 


T’he Eve War 


the traitor to the South; you know that well 
enough, Joe Eansom ! What do you suppose he 
would do if he heard you talk this way ? ” The 
youth was silent and walked moodily on with his 
gaze upon the ground. “ I hope you will bear this 
in mind,” pursued the girl, tartly. “Whatever 
grandfather does or says to you, you know my 
opinion. And you’ll soon know the opinion of 
every girl in our set. There will be a line drawn 
between our friends and our enemies. . . . Now 

I shall leave you here. I’m going to Amy Mar- 
shall’s.” 

“ Shall I stop for you on my way back ? ” asked 
Joe, still with gloomy face. 

“ No, sir ! I don’t wish you to attend me.” 

“ Expect Paul there, eh ? ” and roguishness flashed 
into the boy’s eyes again. 

“ I’d rather walk home alone on the darkest night 
that ever was, than to have you accompany me ! ” 
Dollie cried, and turning suddenly she fairly ran up 
a side street, leaving Joe standing gravely upon the 
corner. When he went on his face was still clouded, 
and it reflected the countenances of many men 
whom he met. Those who knew Washington in the 
last days of December, 1860, know well what 
thoughts reigned in the minds of the city’s inhab- 
itants. The country was in an alarming condition 
and the Federal District was naturally the pivotal 
point upon which each great history-making inci- 
12 


The Eve ^ War 


dent turned. On the twentieth of the month South 
Carolina had passed the Ordinance of Secession. 
Seven days later Castle Pinckney and Fort Moultrie 
were seized by the State authorities. Before these 
days the aged General Scott, commander of the 
army, had been summoned to Washington to advise 
with President Buchanan ; and lately had arrived 
South Carolina’s Commission to the Government, 
which brought about the resignation of John B. 
Floyd, Secretary of War. 

The shadow of coming events lay strongly across 
the path of the hesitating, indecisive Chief Execu- 
tive — a shadow as decidedly outlined as that which 
Joe Ransom had noticed, within the hour, at the 
corner of the Chesney barn. But the suspicions 
which this shadow had engendered in the boy’s 
mind were displaced by his misunderstanding with 
Dollie Chesney. All their lives they had been as 
brother and sister ; never before had they engaged 
in such a serious quarrel. If Joe teased, he was 
slow to wrath himself ; if Dollie was fiery, she was 
quickly over her anger. But Joe knew that this 
was a grave matter. 

When he was left an orphan more than twelve 
years before Major Abram Chesney, who had 
known and loved his father, took Joe into his own 
household. The Major’s heart went out to the boy 
the more because he had been disappointed in his 
remaining son. Soon after the coming of Joe Ran- 

13 


The Eve ^ War 


som to the Chesney plantation in South Carolina, 
the Major sold out and removed to his present 
Georgetown residence. His eldest son in dying 
left one child, Dollie ; his other son, Philip, had be- 
come a sad trial and a shame which he wished to 
hide from his old neighbors and friends, for the 
Major was a very proud old man. But removing 
Philip from the temptations of the South Carolina 
home, and from association with other wealthy and 
wild young men in the neighborhood, did not cure 
him. Two years later he had to flee from Wash- 
ington, and to save his own good name Major 
Chesney paid the note which Philip had forged. 
At that time the Major declared, in indignation, 
that he cast Philip off forever, and a few months 
later Joe Kansom was adopted by the old gentle- 
man. But Joe was much too young, and much too 
full of boyish play and fancies, to pay any atten- 
tion to this. He only knew that he loved the Major 
as though the latter were really his father ; he had 
always felt that way toward him. 

Dollie Chesney was heir to considerable wealth, 
a legacy from her maternal grandfather. It was 
all in the care of the Major, and when he had sold 
his own South Carolina holdings and freed his 
blacks, her trustee likewise disposed of most 
of her property, investing the money thus ob- 
tained in English securities. Although a South- 
ern man to the core. Major Chesney did not share 


The Eve War 

the sanguine expectations of many who, for 
years, had looked forward to a division of the 
Union as not only necessary, but the salva- 
tion of the South. He kept out of political discus- 
sions himself ; but his breeding and known loyalty 
to Southern institutions precluded any suspicion 
that he was grown luke-warm in the cause. 

From the window of the library, which was the 
room facing the street in his Georgetown residence. 
Major Chesney, with a smile upon his lips, saw Joe 
and Dollie depart on this afternoon. He watched 
them out of sight beyond the stone barn, but he 
failed to observe the gate at the lane-end open and 
a tall figure enter quickly into the yard. Joe was 
correct in his suspicions. A man had stood in the 
lane, and the approach of the boy and girl caused 
him to rapidly retreat up the passage and into the 
Chesney premises. He was a tall man of dark 
complexion upon whose features the marks of ill- 
living were deeply graved. Nobody but Luke, 
who came from the stable with a fork in his hands 
to gaze after him with astonishment, saw the 
cloaked figure cross the wet sward and rap sharply 
upon the long window which, opening like a door, 
gave entrance directly from the lawn to the library. 
Major Chesney had gone back to his book and pipe. 
Now he laid both down, turned in his chair in some 
amazement, and said : Come in ! ” The door 

swung open quickly. For an instant the stranger 

15 


The Eve of Tf ax 

hesitated, while the Major’s eyes under their shaggy 
brows began to gleam ; then the visitor stepped 
swiftly in and the window snapped to behind him. 
“ Sir ! ” exclaimed the old gentleman, with stern- 
ness, “ why am I thus honored ? ” 

Without at first replying, the tall man removed 
his wet cloak and hung it over a chair-back before 
the sea-coal fire. His broad-brimmed hat, after be- 
ing shaken over the hearth until the flames hissed 
again and leaped angrily in the grate, was laid upon 
the chair-seat. All this time the visitor had care- 
fully avoided the old gentleman’s eye, but now he 
turned to him and said, huskily ; “ May I sit 

down ? I have come not as your son. Major 
Chesney — I knew better than that,” and his tone 
was more than a little bitter, “ but upon a matter 
of business.” 

“ I know of no business which should bring you 
here, sir,” said the Major. 

“ One thing I can tell you, sir,” said the visitor, 
who was in truth Philip Chesney. “I have not 
come to listen to recriminations, nor to preaching. 
I consider you no more my father than you 
consider me your son. I know my place has 
been usurped.” The Major raised his hand in angry 
denial, but Philip continued : “ It does not matter. 

Our private affairs are aside from the subject I wish 
to discuss with you. Indeed, at this hour, all pri- 
vate matters should be put aside.” 

i6 


The Eve ^ War 


“ What do you mean ? ” demanded the Major, a 
flush crossing his face. 

“ I will tell you. But first I must be assured, 
sir, that you are still a Southern man in senti- 
ment.” 

“ Do you dare say that to your own father ? ” de- 
manded the Major, rising quickly from his seat and 
frowning down upon the visitor. 

“ I told you that relationship did not enter into 
this discussion. I ask you: How do you stand? 
That is what I must first know. Is your heart with 

the South ? You sold out and left Carolina ” 

“Is not this as much the South as my native 
State ? ” demanded the Major, wonderingly. 

“ Good ! You see it as we do, then ? ” 

“ Who are * we ’ ? ” asked the older man, suspi- 
ciously. 

“The loyal people, of course. We do not pro- 
pose that the Yankees shall get Maryland and this 
District of Columbia. They belong to the South. 

When the division comes ” 

“ God forbid ! ” interrupted the Major. 

“ Ah, you are old, and you say that, sir ! But 
you know in your heart that the division is at hand. 
It must come — it has come. Have you not heard 
the glorious news from South Carolina ? ” 

The Major nodded, sadly. “I know what has 
been done. But do you not believe peace may yet 
be brought about ? ” 


17 


‘The Eve ^ War 

“ No ! ” exclaimed Philip Chesney, rising in turn 
and striding up and down before the hearth. “ This 
is only the beginning. The other loyal states will 
follow. Why, sir, Mississippi may have already 
passed a similar ordinance. It has got to come. 
We will be governed no longer by these calculating, 
speculating Yankee tradesmen — a bloodless, cow- 
ardly crew of money-getting and gold-worshiping 
scoundrels I Look at the man they have forced 
down our throats for President.” 

“Let us wait and see what this man will do,” 
interposed the Major, mildly ; but he did not look 
at his son. 

“ Wait ! ” The younger man stood over him and 
went on vehemently. “Wait for what ? To see 
the sovereign rights of our states stolen from us ? 
Wait until the Black Abolitionists rob us of our 
means of sustenance ? I tell you, sir, that Abraham 
Lincoln will never take his seat as President of 
these United States ! There’ll be no United States, 
or else ” 

“Well, sir?” asked the Major, at last raising his 
eyes. 

“ There will be no Abraham Lincoln ! ” 

“ Sh ! Strong words these, even when uttered in 
anger, Philip Chesney,” exclaimed the Major, 
hoarsely. The younger man walked back and forth 
again, recovering his former air of calmness with 
difficulty. “ I believe in the South and I stand for 

i8 


T'he Eve ^ War 


her institutions,” pursued the Major, seriously and 
sadly. “ But I am, as you suggest, too old for an 
active part in these present affairs. My country 
suffers, it is true, but I cannot help her.” 

“ You can ! ” exclaimed the other, quickly. 

“ How, sir ? ” 

Philip Chesney sat down more quietly, hitching 
his chair nearer to the Major's that his lower tones 
might reach his ear alone. “ I have been in Wash- 
ington a fortnight, sir. I came here under instruc- 
tions from — well, from men of whose loyalty there 
can be no doubt, and whom you, sir, have always 
held in respect. They are men who see into the 
future and who, much as they may deplore the dis- 
integration of the Union, see no other way for 
Freedom — the inalienable right of Americans — to 
be maintained. A confederation of the Southern 
states is inevitable ; Maryland, as well as the other 
border states, must be saved for the South, and the 
National Capital must be ours, also. To this end 
there is needed not only men, but money. Loyal 
Southerners, who are possessed of fortunes, must 
stand behind the men who may be called upon to 
shed their blood for the country. We must know 
whom we can depend upon for the sinews of war. 
You, sir, are possessed of a great deal of wealth ; 
and in your charge is much more that should revert 
to the South in case of need.” 

“ What, sir ! ” gasped the Major, starting upright 

19 


The Eve ^ War 

in his chair. “Do you mean my grandchild’s 
property ? ” 

“Certainly I do. You are her trustee. Bonds 
will doubtless be issued by the form of government 
decided upon by a convention of the Southern 
States. An opportunity will be given you to invest 
your own and Dollie’s money in those bonds, and so 
you may show your patriotism, though you may be 
too old to take the field yourself.” 

“ This, sir, is enough ! ” exclaimed the Major, 
rising abruptly. “You shall not come here and 
tell me my duty. Nor shall you suggest that I be 
false to a trust.” 

“Sir!” cried his son, hoarsely, “these senti- 
ments do not display loyalty to the cause. If you 
believe in the South ” 

“I may believe in the right — in the sacredness, 
indeed — of our cause, yet still doubt the wisdom of 
its leaders if, as you say, you state their intentions. 
I see no good arising from war. I do not believe 
there will be war. And any separate government 
by the Southern States must fail.” 

“ And you call yourself loyal I ” cried the younger 
man, passionately. “ It is such men as you, sir — 
and I say it though you be my father ” 

“ Don’t let that hinder you, Philip Chesney ! ” in- 
terrupted the Major, harshly. 

“ It is such men as you who will retard us. You 
have money, and you refuse to assist the cause 
20 


"The Eve ^ War 


which you claim to hold sacred. You are saving it, 
no doubt, for this upstart boy — this stranger whom 
you have taken into your house and for whom you 
have cast off your son, sir ! ” 

“ Stop ! ” gasped the Major, hotly. “ Say no 
more. Leave the house ! ’’ 

“Very good. You feel as I have suggested,” 
cried Philip, picking up his cloak and hat. “ This 
Joe Ransom is more to you than a work which 
should, were you a lo^^al Southerner, be your re- 
ligion — your salvation ! You would save your 
money for him, and he — why, he will be found in 
the ranks of those whom you must soon look upon 
as your enemies, if you do not see them in that 
light now.” 

‘‘ What do you mean ? ” 

“ Old Ransom was a JS’orthern man. His son 
is as like him as one pea is like another. I know 
with whom he associates. And he already holds 
opinions opposed to those a loyal Southerner 
should.” 

“ It is false ! ” The Major’s face was purple, and 
he strode across the room with his clenched fist 
raised as though to strike his son. “Joe Ran- 
som ” 

“What about Joe Ransom?” The voice was 
calm, but inquiring. Both men turned quickly, the 
younger in some fear, the older ashamed that his 
passion should have been observed by a third per- 
21 


T^he Eve ^ War 


son. Joe stood in the doorway of the library, 
leaning against the frame. “What about Joe 
Kansom?” he repeated. “Who is this — this — 
gentleman, Major Chesney ? ” 


22 


CHAPTEK II 


ENEMIES AND FRIENDS 

When first Joe had spoken, the Major’s son 
turned swiftly and drew the fiapping brim of his 
hat over his face as though to conceal his features 
from the youth. But the words and tone which the 
latter used stung him, and he swung about again 
and made answer before his father could reply. 
“ This gentleman is Philip Chesney, whose place 
you seem to have secured in this house, young 
man ! ” he exclaimed, bitterly. 

While he was speaking, Joe scrutinized him 
closely. “ I have an excellent memory for faces,” 
he said, “ but you — you have changed a great deal,” 
and he turned his gaze upon a portrait of the 
Major’s son which hung upon the library wall. 
Philip Chesney glanced involuntarily at the picture, 
painted some fifteen years before. Joe’s remark 
was just. The portrait was that of a high-bred, if 
untamed youth ; a dissipated, reckless man stood 
now before it. The change was startling, but its 
effect was lost upon the angry Philip. “ I did not 
come here for conversation with this — this boy,” 
he stammered, looking at his father again. 

23 


The Eve of War 


“ I would not have broken in ; I beg your pardon, 
sir, for doing so,” Joe said to the Major; “but I 
overheard something ” 

Philip Chesney’s face grew black with sudden 
passion. . “ What did you hear, you sneaking eaves- 
dropper ? ” he cried. 

“Something which concerned me,” finished Joe, 
paying not the slightest heed to the visitor. “ I 
heard my name used. Therefore I opened the 
door.” 

“ You did quite right, Joe, quite right,” said the 
Major, huskily. “ You may go now, boy. I will 
see you again.” 

“No!” cried Philip, maddened by Joe’s cool 
treatment. “Let him say whether my accusation 
is just, or not. Yes, young man, we were quarrel- 
ing about you. Major Chesney believes you to 
be heart and soul for the South, as he declares 
he is.” 

“ Be still, sir ! ” exclaimed the old gentleman, 
striding up to him again. 

“ I am beyond your leading strings,” responded 
his son. 

“ Then leave my house, sir ! ” 

“ In a moment — in a moment. I do not stay for 
my own pleasure. But before I go you shall learn 
that what I have said is true. You are a South- 
erner ; your roots are set too deep in the soil for 
them to have been torn up by any false sentiment 
24 


T'he Eve ^ War 

regarding the continuance of the Union. If you 
were ten years younger, even, you would enlist in 
the first brigade which the South shall send to the 
Susquehanna to drive back the invader. But this 
fellow — this boy whom you have taken such a fancy 
to — this Joe Kansom, is already known to sympa- 
thize with the enemy. His own friends are turning 
away from him. He is an Abolitionist, and if you 
will not take my word for it, ask him ! ” and the 
man’s accusing forefinger impaled the youth where 
he stood in the doorway. 

“ That is not true ! ” exclaimed the Major, 
hoarsely. 

“ It is the truth. Ask him. Why does he not 
deny it ? ” 

The Major turned swiftly. Joe was about to 
speak, but his guai’dian’s peremptory gesture for- 
bade it. “ Do not say a word, sir ! ” the old gentle- 
man cried. “ I will not have you insulted by this — 
this reprobate. As for you, Philip Chesney, leave 
the house at once ! ” 

“ Very well, sir. But my report to those who 
sent me ” 

“ I do not believe anybody or anything but your 
own wicked desires sent you here,” declared the 
Major. “ If the South wishes my help, the assist- 
ance of my feeble voice, or of my almost powerless 
arm, let her send a fitting representative. Go ! ” 

His son turned slowly, sullenly, and approached 

25 


T'he Eve ^ War 


the window by which he had entered. Once he 
looked back ; perhaps if there had not been that for- 
bidding expression upon his father’s face his own 
feelings might have changed, and then — well, much 
which followed that terrible scene in the library 
might not have happened. But the Major’s face 
was adamant and, with a muttered imprecation, 
the son wrenched open the window and dashed 
through, flinging it to behind him — gone as he 
had come and as behooved a conspirator, not 
like an honest man by the public entrance of the 
house. 

“ Come in and close the door, Joe,” said the 
Major, crossing the room slowly and sinking into 
his chair. He was a stout man with a thin thatch 
of iron-gray hair, and a mustache and imperial of 
purest white. The eyebrows, too, were white, and 
overhung deep-set eyes. Usually he impressed the 
beholder as being a vigorous man for his age ; but 
now he seemed strangely feeble, and Joe’s anger 
increased against the person whose visit had so dis- 
turbed his guardian. “ Joe,” the Major said, “ this 
must be the last time that fellow comes here. I 
must see Kirk to-morrow. I’ll have him driven out 
of the city again. It is a terrible situation, when a 
man fears his own son ; but that is the condition of 
affairs. I feel that I cannot stand such quarrels as 
this ; I cannot stand them ! ” 

Joe had nothing to say; for was not the un- 
26 


The Eve ^ War 

welcome visitor the Major’s son, and had not 
he, to a certain extent, taken Philip’s place in the 
Chesney household ? As for the Major’s money, 
why, he had never thought of it ! He did not even 
know if his own father had left anything when he 
died and resigned Joe to the Major’s care. He had 
never thought to ask. If he were poor, his poverty 
troubled him as little as Dollie’s wealth disturbed 
her. And now, when he looked down upon the old 
man, who had been so kind to him, and had sup- 
plied his every want for years, he felt keen anger 
for the person who had caused Major Chesney’s 
present condition. The old gentleman was shaken 
indeed. 

“ Joe,” he said, “ you are a great comfort to me, 
boy ! I am looking to you to make my old age 
happy — or, at least comfortable and contented. 
That — that scoundrel! His insinuations hurt you 
as much as they disturbed me, I fancy. To think 
of his accusing you — a Kansom — of disloyalty, of 
being a traitor ! I might as well suspect myself of 
deserting the South in her extremity (though God 
forbid that that extremity has come I) as to suspect 
the son of Ethan Eansom.” 

Joe’s face flushed and then paled. He tried to 
speak, but the words seemed clogged in his throat. 
This subject, which had been avoided between them 
for months, was one he feared to discuss with the 
good old man. And how terrible it would be to 
2; 


The Eve of yi ax 

come out with an expression of his deepest feelings 
now, after what had just taken place in the library. 
He shrank from hurting the Major again, yet how 
could he allow him to be so self-deceived ? Joe 
knew his own mind. He had known it for weeks. 
And his statement to Dollie that afternoon but 
weakly expressed his real feelings. Because he was 
almost alone among his associates in a determination 
to stand by the flag, his intention was all the 
stronger. And then Major Chesney must soon 
know, if matters came to a head, as it seemed possi- 
ble — aye, probable — they would. He had better 
learn the truth from Joe’s own lips, and the boy 
blurted out : “ But father fought in the Mexican 
War, sir.” 

“Indeed he did, Joe. A brave soldier he was — 
just as his father and grandfather were, as I’ve often 
told you. And, if worse comes to worst, as I hope 
you will be. You’ve got it in you, boy — the fight- 
ing blood of the Kansoms ! ” 

“ But father was a Northern man, and he fought 
for the flag.” 

“ Indeed he did ! ” repeated the Major, slapping 
his palm upon the arm of his chair with emphasis. 
“ And if he were alive to-day he’d be as strong for 
our dear Southland — no doubt of it.” 

“ But there is doubt of it, sir,” said Joe, in a low 
voice. 

“ Eh ! What’s that, boy ? ” 

28 


T'he Eve ^ War 


“ Yes, sir. There is a doubt in my mind — in my 
heart, Major. I do not believe my father could 
have turned his back upon the flag which he once 
fought for.” 

“ Yes, yes — that’s so ! ” admitted the old gentle- 
man, pacing the room. 

‘‘ Then, sir, what can you expect of me ? ” cried 
the boy, loosing some of the pent-up feeling that 
struggled for expression. “ How can I fight against 
my father’s flag ? ” 

“Joe!” The Major turned on him, aghast. 
“ Boy, boy 1 what do you mean ? ” 

“ Why, sir, I would not do anything that you 
forbade. If it comes to war, as so many seem to 
think it will, I would not enlist if you said ‘Ho.’ 
But I could not fight against the Government, 
either.” 

The old gentleman dropped slowly into his chair 
again. He stared at the boy with eyes showing 
more of sorrow than anger. At length he spoke, 
and his words stung his hearer to the quick. “ And 
this from Ethan Kansom’s son ? This, sir, is the 
saddest moment of my life.” He raised his arm and 
pointed to the door. “ Go — leave me 1 ” 

“ Oh, sir ! ” 

But the Major’s hand motioned him away and 
turning slowly Joe Eansom left the library. He 
feared — he knew, indeed, — that he had been cruel ; 
but he did not know how to deceive the man whom 
29 


T'he Eve War 


he had such cause to love and respect. The Major’s 
own training had made it impossible for Joe Kan- 
som to speak falsel 3 ^ He waited a moment in the 
broad hall, hoping that the voice of the dear old 
man might call him back ; but no sound came from 
the room. So, with dragging feet and backward 
glance, he passed out upon the porch, closing the 
door behind him. As he stood there he became 
conscious of shrill voices on the lawn and stepped 
quickly to the corner of the house to see what was 
going on. ‘‘ Ah didn’ go for ter do it — ’deed ’n’ ah 
didn’ ! ” Mercury was crying. “ Don’ yo’ hit me wid 
dat. Mars’ Paul ; ef yo’ does I’se tell Mars’ Joe ! ” 

The plea ended in a shriek and Joe heard the 
ugly swish of a cane. Again and again the weapon 
fell and when Joe came in sight of the disturbance, 
his wrath was stirred. The black boy was upon his 
knees on the walk, and standing over him, in the 
act of delivering another blow with the rattan cane 
he carried, was a youth not far from Joe’s own age. 
The mere fact that Paul Gladden was punishing one 
of the Major’s servants did not so arouse Joe ; it was 
the manner in which poor Mercury was being 
treated. Without regard to where the cane fell, 
Paul had rained several fierce blows upon the black ; 
boy’s head and shoulders. Two great, livid welts \ 

showed plainly across the little fellow’s cheek and ^ 

the cane was falling again when Joe leaped forward 1 
and snatched it from Paul’s hand. j 

30 I 


The Eve ^ War 


“ What are you about ? ” Joe cried, in wonder as 
well as anger. “ What has Mercury done ? Do 
you want to put his eyes out ? What has got into 
you, Gladden ? ” 

“ Let me have that cane, Kansom ! ” shouted the 
other white boy, quite beside himself with passion. 
“ I’ll wear it out on the little black whelp — I will ! 
I will ! Look at my trousers — see what he’s done ! ” 
The daintily dressed youth was furious. He 
pointed to his trouser-leg, which was mud-bespat- 
tered to the hip. 

“ Is that all that’s the matter with you ? ” Joe de- 
manded, with a very white face. 

“ All — all ? Isn’t that enough ? If I owned that 
nigger I’d have him tied up and beaten until he 
couldn’t stand! He’s the sassiest young rascal in 
town, anyway. He’s treated too well, that’s what 
is the matter with him.” 

“Major Chesney is quite able, I believe, to de- 
cide how his own servants shall be treated,” re- 
turned Joe, while Mercury groveled on the walk, 
blubbering and sobbing. “ I want to know, Paul, 
if you were whipping the child just because he 
splashed mud on you ? ” 

“ Hones’ indeedy — dat’s all ah done 1 ” cried Mer- 
cury from the ground. “ An’ ah didn’ go for ter do 
dat. Ah runned eround de corner ob de house. 
Mars’ Joe, an’ dar was Mars’ Paul cornin’ erway 
from de do’, an’ — an’ ah runned plump t’rough dat 

31 


’The Eve ^ War 

puddle widout seein’ it, an’ it splattered, so it did ! ” 
Mercury broke into wild sobs again and the tears 
coursed down his bruised cheeks. 

“ Give me my cane, Kansom ! ” exclaimed Paul 
Gladden, angrily. “ If you are going to take sides 
with a nigger ” 

“You’ll get your cane. Gladden,” declared Joe, 
indignantly, and he seized the youth firmly by the 
collar. 

“ Stop ! stop I what do you mean ? ” roared the 
other, struggling vainly to release himself. “ Give 
me my cane.” 

“ I will,” said J oe. And he did. At every stroke 
across his back Paul roared with pain and anger. 
Joe laid on the blows with a right good will. 
“ There ! ” he exclaimed, finally flinging both his 
victim and the implement of punishment from him, 
“you’ve had a taste of it yourself. You should 
have had it across your own face and eyes, but I 
have saved your good looks.” 

The wrathful Joe heard an exclamation behind 
him and he turned to see Dollie Chesney on the 
porch. The girl’s face was scarlet and her eyes 
blazed. “ You — you rowdy ! ” she exclaimed, 
scarcely above her breath, but in a tone plainly 
audible to the abashed Joe. “ This is the way 
you treat my friends, is it ? Grandfather shall 
be told of this. You are a brute — a bully ! I 
should expect nothing less of you after what 

32 


The Eve ^ War 


you told me to-day. Joe Kansom, I — I hate 
you ! ’’ 

Gladden had already secured his cane and was 
hurrying out of the Chesney premises. He had not 
observed Dollie’s appearance, fortunately for his 
pride. For, after all, his pride had been more in- 
jured than his body. Joe was speechless before 
Dollie’s wrath and turned away with every appear- 
ance of guilt, following Gladden to the street. 
“ What are you doing there. Mercury ? ” the girl 
demanded, seeing the black boy still upon the 
ground. “ So he has been beating you, too, has 
he ? Go around to the kitchen and let Mammy 
Laura put something on your face. He is a brute !” 
and Mercury went, sobbing, without explaining to 
his little mistress that it was not J oe Eansom who 
had beaten him. 

Joe walked slowly away in a most disturbed state 
of mind. The last half hour had heaped up more 
trouble for him than he had experienced in all his life 
before, and Joe was miserable. Boy though he was, 
he had become fully aware on this day of the end 
toward which he, and everybody whom he knew, 
seemed drifting. A gulf seemed to have suddenly 
yawned before his feet, and upon the other edge of 
the chasm stood most of his friends and closest 
associates. Dollie had been first to show him the 
division which must soon separate families and dis- 
integrate communities. And wherever he had been 
33 


‘The Eve ^ War 


that afternoon, Joe Kansom heard the murmurs 
preceding the strife which was to be. Only ten 
days before South Carolina had led the procession 
of disaffected states out of the Union ; her author- 
ities were seizing arsenals, revenue cutters, forts — 
everything which had been the property of the 
Federal Government. It was reported that Major 
Kobert Anderson had determined to hold Fort 
Sumter for the Government, even if the State’s 
demand for its surrender was backed by cannon. 
And if he did so, it was prophesied that war must 
follow. 

Washington was a muttering volcano, which might 
at any moment burst forth. If President Buchanan 
was desirous of bringing troops to the capital, the 
crisis would be precipitated. And yet there were 
men in the capital, many men, indeed, who had de- 
termined that the Federal District should be seized 
and held, as well as the whole of Maryland, for the 
South. Joe Kansom heard more than whispers of 
this plan. Many of its supporters were members of 
that volunteer organization known as the National 
Kifles, one company of which was stationed in 
Washington, and whose commander. Captain 
Schaeffer, had been a lieutenant in the Third 
United States Artillery, and was an excellent drill- 
master. During these days, to proclaim one’s self 
an ardent believer in secession, it was only neces- 
sary to send in one’s name for membership in the 
34 


The Eve of 'Wa.v 


National Kifles. Joe knew that Paul Gladden had 
done this and he, himself, had been urged to do so. 
“ Every loyal son of the South,” he was told in con- 
fidence, ‘‘ should be drilling.” 

When he stepped into the library that afternoon 
and confronted Philip Chesney, he had heard more 
than his own name mentioned. Philip’s voice was 
plainly audible in the hall and Joe knew well why 
the Major’s son was there. He knew that he had 
broken in upon no mere family quarrel when he 
opened the door. Philip had declared his business 
in Washington to deal with the plot of loyal South- 
erners to seize the capital; and Joe had likewise 
heard his threat against the life of the President- 
elect. These matters, as the boy walked away 
from Chesney House, crowded his personal troubles 
to one side. 

Naturally, having discovered that few of his old 
associates felt as he did regarding the public situa- 
tion, Joe had turned of late to people whom he 
knew upheld the existing National Government. 
Little was said openly by the staunch Northerners 
of the capital; but one man of his acquaintance 
Joe that very day had heard state in no uncertain 
terms his unshaken attachment to the Union. This 
gentleman was Mr. Charles P. Stone, formerly an 
ofticer under General Winfield Scott in Mexico, 
and now well known in Washington society. 

Joe walked away from the house after his quarrel 

35 


T'he Eve ^ War 

with Paul Gladden with little idea of where he was 
bound. He only felt that he could meet neither 
Dollie nor Major Chesney again just then, and was 
determined not to appear at dinner. His steps 
turned involuntarily toward Washington, and by 
seven o’clock he was looking for Mr. Stone in sev- 
eral places where he knew Union men assembled. 
He did not find his man, however, until coming to 
Wormley’s old hotel he observed a crowd of men 
and boys outside the door, and crossed over the 
way to learn the cause of the excitement. 

“ General Scott has just gone into the hotel ; he’s 
stayin’ here,” said a bystander in reply to the boy’s 
question. “ Ah, a fine ould man is General Scott. 
He’ll tell the President what to do to these hot- 
headed folks that are trying to stir up a ruction. 
Sure, he’s seen fightin’ enough himself not to want 
another war.” 

“ Go on, Larry, go on ! ” cried his neighbor. “ It’s 
war we’re needin’. ’Twill freshen us up, an’ make 
times good again.” 

“I’m not nadein’ it much,” was the quick re- 
sponse. “ Sure, I lost me ar-rm in Mexico, an’ I’ll 
not be lookin’ for trouble again till a new ar-rm 
grows on me ! ” 

The crowd laughed, but Joe’s attention was at- 
tracted elsewhere and he began to push eagerly 
through the throng toward the hotel door. He 
had recognized a man who was just mounting the 
36 


The Eve War 


steps. “ Mr. Stone ! Mr. Stone ! ” he exclaimed, 
elbowing aside the men and lads who stayed his 
progress. The gentleman turned and glanced down 
at the eager youth. “ You wish to speak to me, 
young man ? ” he asked. “ Ah ! you are young 
Ransom. What can I do for you ? Is the Major 
well ? ” 

“ I must speak to you alone, sir,” said the boy, 
hurriedly, having gained the gentleman’s side. 

“ Alone ? ” queried Mr. Stone, raising his brows. 
“ Is it so very important ? ” 

“ I believe so, sir.” 

‘‘ Why, Ransom, I have come here to call upon 
my old commander. I do not wish to miss him 
and his time is much occupied. Will you wait until 
after my interview with General Scott ? ” 

“ Oh, yes, sir ! ” cried Joe. “ Are you going in to 
see the General ? ” 

“ I expect to see him,” and the gentleman smiled. 
“ Would you like to go in with me, youngster ? ” 

Joe’s face beamed. The General-in-Chief of the 
army — the man who had led the American forces 
to victory in the Mexican War— was a very popular 
person indeed at that day. Joe had all a boy’s en- 
thusiasm for and delight in the pomp of war. 
“Follow me closely, then,” his friend said, kindly, 
and Joe obeyed. Those in the hotel saw that the 
youth was under Mr. Stone’s protection, and they 
allowed him to pass into the very room where Gen- 
37 


'The Eve of War 


eral Winfield Scott sat conversing with several 
gentlemen. The kindly features, the fringe of gray 
beard about the broad face, the twinkling eyes, the 
high-cut nostrils and firmly set lips, made a portrait 
not easily forgotten. The great commander was a 
noble looking old man. Joe was abashed and stood 
back near the door when Mr. Stone went forward 
to be cordially welcomed. Soon the other gentle- 
men left the room and the conversation of the Gen- 
eral and Mr. Stone became more confidential; but 
neither paid any attention to the boy by the door 
who drank in all that was said with deepest in- 
terest. 

“ I am delighted to see you in such good spirits, 
sir,” said Mr. Stone, gazing meaningly at General 
Scott. “It proves to me that you take a more 
cheerful view of the state of public affairs than we 
of Washington have dared take during the past few 
days.” 

“Yes, my young friend,” returned the com- 
mander, “ I do feel more cheerful — more so than 
1 did this morning, even. For I believe that a safer 
policy than has hitherto been followed will be 
adopted. That of entire conciliation, which has so 
far been pursued, would soon have led to ruin. We 
are now in such a state that a policy of pure force 
would precipitate a crisis for which we are not pre- 
pared. A mixed policy of force and conciliation 
will be, I believe, carried out.” 

38 


T^he Eve o/' War 


“I indeed pray your hopeful feeling is pro- 
phetic,” said Mr. Stone. 

“ Yes, yes. It must be so. By the way, sir, how 
is the feeling in the District of Columbia ? What 
proportion of the population would sustain the gov- 
ernment by force, if necessary ? ” 

‘‘ It is my belief. General,” was the reply, “ that 
two-thirds of the lighting stock of this population 
would sustain the government if called upon. But 
they are uncertain as to what can be done, or what 
the government desires to have done, and they have 
no rallying point.” 

The two gentlemen had risen while Mr. Stone 
spoke. The General suddenly placed a hand upon 
his visitor’s shoulder, looking him earnestly in the 
face, and said: “These people have no rallying 
point, you say ? Make yourself that. Stone — make 
yourself that ! ” 

At this point a servant appeared at the door. 
“ Your carriage is ready. General,” he said. The 
commander gave his hand to Stone again and left 
the room. The latter came out very gravely. “ A 
fine old man, Kansom,” he said. “ But I fear — I 
fear — well, matters are moving too swiftly for him 
these days, as they are for the President.” They 
passed out of the hotel together and heard the 
crowd cheering around General Scott’s carriage as 
it started for the White House. “ Come, my boy, 
what did you wish to say to me ? ” the gentleman 
39 


The Eve ^ War 


asked. When he had heard Joe’s story of Philip 
Chesney’s visit to his father, and the suggestive 
words the boy had overheard while standing out- 
side the library door, he smote his hands together 
vigorously, exclaiming ; “ That goes to show how 

important little things may be in this world, Kan- 
som. I should have known this before I saw 
General Scott.” 

“ I — I tried to tell you, sir.” 

“So you did. We never know — well, no use 
weeping over what can’t be helped. I have sus- 
pected all along that there was a plot of the nature 
your stor}" suggests. Capture the district for the 
South, eh ? I wonder what the President would 
say to that ? ” 

“He would not believe it, sir,” ventured Joe, 
quietly. 

“You’re right, boy! He would not. But I am 
glad you have told me. I’ll try to see General 
Scott again before he goes back to Hew York.” 

“ Do — do you really believe there will be war, 
sir ? ” asked the boy, in an awed tone. 

The gentleman placed his hand upon Joe’s shoul- 
der as General Scott had upon his a few moments 
before. “ As sure as you and I are both alive at 
this instant, Kansom, it will come to war. And 
such a struggle may be a desperate one — how des 
perate few of us northerners can realize. That is 
because we understand so little the reasons which 
40 


The Eve ^ War 

have inspired this secession movement. . . . 

'Now 1 must hurry home, young man. I may want 
to see you in a day or two ; you’ll come if I send 
for you ? ” 

“ Certainly, sir,” replied Joe, wonderingly. And 
he went home in much mystification regarding why 
Mr. Stone should wish to see him again. He had 
told all he knew or had reason to suspect about the 
plot against the Government, and he devoutly hoped 
that no more like information would be flung in his 
way. He did not fancy playing the informer, no 
matter how much it seemed his duty to act in that 
capacity. When he approached the house it was 
late in the evening. He wished to reach his room 
without seeing either the Major or Dollie. But to 
his amazement, when he came up the walk, he saw 
that many of the lower windows were alight, the 
door was open, and as he hurried to the porch a car- 
riage drove furiously up and Dr. Prettyman, a 
physician and a personal friend of the family, 
leaped out and preceded J oe into the house. 

“What is it? Who is sick?” gasped Joe, seiz- 
ing the first person he found in the hall. It hap- 
pened to be a neighbor, a kindly woman who had 
evidently been hastily summoned. “ It’s the Major, 
sir,” she said. “ They just found him in the library, 
lying across his table. He is not dead yet. Master 
Joe, but he can neither move nor speak. It’s a 
dreadful, dreadful thing, sir ! ” 

41 


CHAPTEK III 


‘‘to my deae son ” 

Those were terrible hours which followed ; terri- 
ble for Joe Kansora, pacing the hall restlessly, or 
listening at the door of the library where a wide 
couch had been hastily arranged for the sick man ; 
terrible for Dollie, who begged so hard to be al- 
lowed in the room that the physician finally agreed, 
and where she sat at the bed’s foot, her little hands 
tightly clasped, her eyes hungrily resting upon the 
wan face against the pillow. And the hours were 
made worse for both the boy and the girl because 
they could not help each other bear this trouble. 

A day earlier they would have clasped hands and 
comforted one another; but all that was past. 
Dollie did not look at Joe, and Joe dared not raise 
his eyes to Dollie’s. The occurrences of the after- 
noon were too deeply felt by both to make any 
sudden reconciliation possible, and throughout the 
long night each bore the burden of sorrow and un- 
certainty alone. Dr. Pretty man remained grave 
until dawn. The Major had suffered a paralytic 
shock and for hours the physician feared he would 
not rally. Even when morning came the Major 
could neither speak, nor move a finger. His hear- 
42 


rhe Eve of War 

ing, however, was unimpaired, as the intelligent 
light in his eyes proved when they spoke to him ; 
and the side of his face which was least affected 
wrinkled into the pitiful ghost of a smile when Dollie 
stooped over the bed to kiss him. 

Joe saw this from the doorway, and his heart 
bounded for joy ; but he dared not go to the bed- 
side, being held back by the remembrance of his 
last interview with the Major in this very room. 
The wan light of the dawning New Year, filtering 
through the shutters, revealed the old man’s chair, 
and the littered writing-table, just as he had left 
them. He wondered if the Major would ever 
occupy his accustomed seat, or write at that table, 
again. 

“We cannot tell what may be the outcome of 
this,” said Dr. Prettyman, in his most precise way, 
as Luke helped him on with his coat in the hall. 
“ The Major may live for months. Another stroke 
may carry him off at any hour. There is nothing 
much more uncertain than paralysis. We can 
do our best for him, that is all. Some overstrained 
condition of mind brought this on. He must be 
kept very quiet and undisturbed. Do not move 
him from the library. The room is airy and large ; 
he is used to being in it ; leave things as they are, 
for should his brain become affected, it is better 
that he have familiar objects about him.” 

The physician said this to Dollie and Joe, who 
43 


T'he Eve of ■ax 


had followed him to the door, neither looking at the 
other. Now the doctor turned a scrutinizing glance 
upon the boy. “ Did you know, Master Ransom, 
that Mr. Philip Chesney was in town ? ’’ he asked, 
suddenly. Joe bowed gravely, but Dollie looked 
surprised. “ I think that he had better be sent for,’- 

the doctor said. “ As head of the family ” 

“ I do not think it would be wise, sir,” responded 
the boy, quickly. “ Major Chesney declared that 
Mr. Philip has quite separated himself from the 
family.” 

“ Ah ! these little family quarrels are always set- 
tled at such a time as this,” the physician said, 
rather sharply. “ What do you say, Dollie ? ” 

“ Oh, do you think grandfather will surely die ? ” 
she gasped. 

Nonsense ! nonsense ! ” exclaimed the doctor, 
cheerily. “ Merely because I should wish to see my 

old friend and his son united again ” 

“ If you do not wish the Major disturbed, I be- 
lieve it would be unwise to allow Mr. Philip here,” 
interposed Joe. 

“ Why, pray ? ” cried Dr. Prettyman. “ Do you 
realize, young man, that your objections seem — er — 
well, very strange, to say the least ? ” 

Joe stole a glance at Dollie. The girl’s expres- 
sion bore out the doctor’s insinuation, and Joe’s 
face flamed suddenly with pain and anger. It 
seemed ordained that whatever he did should be 
44 


The Eve ij/" War 


misconstrued. “ I think we ought to send for Mr. 
Kirk, first. Let him decide. Lie is likely to know 
Major Chesney’s wishes better than anybody 
else.” 

“ You may send for the lawyer if you like,” 
Prettyman said, shortly, as he turned away. “ But 
I shall let Mr. Philip Chesney know that his father 
has been stricken.” 

Joe wished much to confide in Dollie — to tell her 
of the scene in the library after he had returned 
from the city the day before. But the girl gave 
him no opportunity. When the doctor departed 
she went at once to her own room. The suggestion 
that Philip Chesney might return, now that his 
father was ill and helpless, troubled Joe exceed- 
ingly ; but not for a moment did he think of the 
difference it might make in his own standing in the 
household. But he knew well that — following the 
quarrel of the previous afternoon — the Major would 
not wish Philip recalled. Dr. Prettyman was an 
ardent Southerner ; he was a member, indeed, of 
the National Kifles, and as active as Captain 
Schaeffer himself. It was not at all strange that he 
should have been aware of Philip’s presence in 
Washington, or that he should desire to see the 
Major and his son reconciled. 

Soon after the doctor’s departure an accredited 
nurse arrived to relieve Mammy Laura, and 
Mercury was routed out of his bed to sit by the 
45 


The Eve of 'Wslx 


library door and act as errand runner in accordance 
with his name. The black boy’s face was still 
swollen from the strokes of Paul Gladden’s cane, 
but he grinned cheerfully at sight of Joe. ‘‘We 
done gotter gib up dat fishin’ trip, Mars’ Joe,” he 
said. “.It too bad, fo’ dat chicken mammy baked 
is jes’ lubly ! Ah — ah gwine ter try ter git it outen 
de cupboard w’en mammy ain’t ’roun’, an’ ah’ll 
sabe yo’ some, sah,” and his eyes danced. 

“You’ll get thrashed if you do, Merc. And, 
anyway, I want sleep more than I do chicken. 
But first you must run an errand for me. I’ll stay 
here till you come back.” 

“ All right, sah.” 

“You know where Mr. Kirk lives? Kun over 
there and tell him how ill Major Chesney is, and 
ask him to come here before he goes to his office. 
It’s very important.” 

Mercury was off directly, and when he returned 
Joe went to his room and laid down without re- 
moving his clothing, so as to be ready for a call 
when the lawyer arrived. It was mid-forenoon 
when Mr. Kirk came, and he reached Chesney House 
just as Dr. Pretty man’s carriage drove up. The 
contrast between the doctor and the attorney was 
remarkable. The physician was a rotund little 
man with a rosy face, quick motions, and a 
peppery temper ; Kirk was tall, “ shambling,” slow 
of movement and with a manner calm under every 
46 


The Eve of War 


provocation, and inclined to talk little and listen 
much. While the doctor took a look at his patient, 
who appeared to be sleeping quietly, the lawyer 
glanced only casually about the library and ex- 
amined the scattered papers which lay upon the 
writing table. When the doctor beckoned him out 
of the room for a conference Mr. Kirk brought 
with him one of these papers which had remained 
undisturbed over night. 

“ See here, Kirk,” said the physician, in his brisk 
manner, “ I have seen Mr. Philip Chesney and ad- 
vised him to come over here at once.” Joe had 
been called by Mercury and came down the stairs 
rubbing his eyes, but very much awake to the pro- 
ceedings. The doctor quite ignored the boy, how- 
ever. 

“ Don’t you — er — think that was rather precipi- 
tate?” inquired the attorney, slowly. ‘‘I did not 
know that Philip — er — had risked coming back to 
Washington.” 

“ What, sir ! ” exclaimed the doctor. Do you 
speak that way of the son of your client ? ” 

“ I speak of a man who is — or has been — under 
indictment in this district for a crime,” said the 
lawyer, softly. 

“ Konsense ! nonsense ! A bit of boyish folly — ” 

“ Which cost his father a pretty penny.” 

“But this is no occasion for such bickerings. 
Families should be united in times of illness, sir. 
47 


The Eve ^ War 


Mr. Philip Chesney’s place is here, at the head of 
this household, now that his father is so sorely 
stricken.” 

Kirk wagged his head thoughtfully. “Do you 
not think, sir — you are a doctor — that the presence 
of a person whom he has every reason to wish not 
to see, or to have dealings with, would tend to dis- 
turb your patient ? ” he finally asked. 

The little man’s face grew rosier still. “ You are 
laboring under a delusion, Kirk ! ” he cried. “ There 
may have been friction between the Major and his 
son. All that is past.” Kirk’s raised eyebrows 
preceded a possible question, and the doctor went 
on hurriedly ; “ I have it from Mr. Philip Chesney 
himself, sir ! He was here yesterday and saw his 
father. Indeed, I may say with authority, that the 
misunderstanding that has existed between them for 
several years, has been providentially explained. 
There has been a reconciliation, sir ; the father has 
received the son with open arms.” 

The lawyer started and glanced at the paper in 
his hand. But this declaration of the little doctor’s 
caused Joe much astonishment. “Why, sir, that is 
impossible ! ” he cried, stepping forward. “ The 
Major told me yesterday that Philip should never 
come here again.” 

The doctor turned upon him then and his eyes 
flashed angrily. “Young man, I was warned of 
what your attitude would be. It does not surprise 
48 


"The Eve of yVdiV 


me. It is easy to see why you desire to keep father 
and son apart.” 

The lawyer raised his hand and spoke more quickly 
and sternly than was his wont : “ One moment, doc- 
tor ! ” he said. “ As the Major’s man of business I 
very well know his attitude toward this young man. 
Master Joe is my — er — client. I cannot allow you 
to speak to him in such a way. He is under my 
protection.” 

“Lawyer, or not,” sputtered Prettyman, “you 
cannot stand between the Major and his son.” Kirk 
was silent. “ The word of a Southern gentleman 
cannot be doubted so easily. Mr. Philip Chesney 
tells me that all differences between his father and 
himself have been settled. He will be here to take 
his proper place in this household within a few 
hours. This young man cannot know what passed 
between the Major and his son.” 

“But I do!” Joe exclaimed. “I was present 
through a good part of the interview. I saw Mr. 
Philip Chesney leave, and heard what the Major 
said to him. And the dear old man spoke to me 
about Philip afterward — and spoke very bitterly, 
too.” 

“ Ah ! ” said Kirk, nodding again as his eyes 
turned once more to the paper in his hand. 

“And what occurred between the Major and 
yourself, young man?” cried the doctor. “Was 
there not some difficulty between him and you ? ” 
49 


The Eve ^ War 


The boy flushed and hung his head. Kirk came 
to his rescue. “We are not discussing anything 
which took place here except the interview of Philip 
and his father,” he said quietly. “ I am assured by 
my knowledge of the Major’s character — and of 
his son’s character, also — that nothing could have 
occurred to entirely heal the breach between 
them. I have known all along the Major’s in- 
tention regarding Philip. He was on the eve 
of making his will. We had discussed its pro- 
visions. Indeed, when he was stricken last evening, 
he was engaged, I should say, in making a rough 
draft of the document which I believe he would 
have submitted to me soon. This draft I hold in 
my hand.” 

“Indeed, sir!” cried the doctor, in astonish- 
ment. 

“ This paper at the present time has not an atom 
of legal significance, for it is unsigned. Should our 
old friend — er — die, it might bear some weight in a 
court of law, there being no other paper in existence 
showing the Major’s intentions in regard to his 
property. And I can assure you. Dr. Prettyman, 
that Mr. Philip Chesney’s name is not mentioned 
in this draft of his father’s will. There are many 
small legacies ; in fact, it seems that before he was 
stricken, the testator had carefully catalogued all 
the minor gifts he wished made after his death. 
But in writing the paragraph relating to the dis- 

50 


T'he Eve War 


bursement of the bulk of his estate, his hand was — 
er — stayed before he finished. Let me read you 
this unfinished paragraph. Whether it throws light 
upon the question which troubles us, I am not pre- 
pared to say. Here it is : 

“ ‘ All the residue of my estate, wheresoever 
found, both real and personal, I give and bequeath 
to my dear son ’ There the will ends,” fin- 

ished the attorney, folding the paper again and 
looking from the doctor to Joe. 

“Why, sir!” exclaimed the physician, puffing 
out his cheeks, “ what more do you want ? Do you 
need other proof? Philip Chesney was reconciled 
to his father yesterday. It was providential, sir, 
providential! And this unsigned will shows that 
the thought of his son and heir was in his mind 
when the stroke came.” 

“ But which son ? ” queried Kirk, thoughtfully. 

“ Which son ! What do you mean, sir ? Charles 
G. Chesney has been dead for fifteen years. There 
is but one son remaining — Philip.” 

Kirk laid his hand upon Joe’s shoulder. “ This 
boy has been as a son to Major Chesney for years. 
I know the old gentleman’s intentions regarding 
him. That paper may refer — nay, it does refer — to 
him.” 

“ I do not believe it, Kirk ! After what I have 
heard about this boy, I have every reason to 
believe that, whatever may have been Major Ches- 

51 


“The Eve of 'War 


ney’s former intentions, he had recently made up 
his mind to cast Joe off.” 

“ Stop, sir ! ” commanded Mr. Kirk, sternly. 

“ It does not matter what Major Chesney decided 
to do, or not to do, with me,” Joe interposed ; “ but 
I know very well that he did not wish to see Philip 
again. He told him so, and he told me so.” 

There was a light step upon the stair and Dollie’s 
voice broke in upon the boy’s declaration. “ Joseph 
Kansom ! can’t you behave yourself — and when 
grandfather is so ill? That door is not sound- 
proof. I am astonished at you, doctor, for allow- 
ing it ! ” 

“ Miss Dollie speaks with authority,” Kirk has- 
tened to say, as he bowed profoundly before the 
young girl. “ If this painful discussion must be 
continued, let us move away from the door of the 
sick room.” 

“ Miss Dollie ! ” the doctor cried, beckoning the 
girl to follow them out upon the porch, “ you have 
come at an opportune time. You are surely as 
much interested in this as anybody can be. And 
you are likely to know your grandfather’s wishes as 
well as — if not better than — another person who 
seems to claim that authority,” and he looked scorn- 
fully upon the unmoved lawyer. 

“ What is it, doctor ? ” 

“ Here is a paper which pretends to place in black 
and white your grandfather’s last wishes ” 

52 


T'he Eve ^ War 


“ Oh, sir ! grandfather is not ” 

“ No, no, Dollie. He is just as he was. But he 
was writing his will when the shock took him. 
And — here, Kirk ! let her read it.” 

The lawyer, without hesitation, placed the paper 
in the girPs hand. She read it to the very last 
word. “ How strange ! ” she murmured. 

“ It is,” rejoined Mr. Kirk. 

‘‘It is the least strange of anything I have 
experienced lately ! ” snapped the little physician. 
“ After knowing that Philip Chesney was here yes- 
terday and was received with open arms by his 
father ” 

“You are mistaken, sir ! ” exclaimed Joe. 

Dollie glanced at him strangely. “ What do you 
know about it ? I did not hear that Uncle Philip 
was here at all. Grandfather said nothing about it 
at dinner last night.” 

“That has nothing to do with it,” the doctor 
hastened to declare. “ Philip was here and there 
was a reconciliation. And I say that Philip should 
return and take his rightful place in the family, now 
that his father is ill.” 

“ It would be inadvisable ; that is my opinion,” 
observed Mr. Kirk, quietly. 

“ It is the right thing. What is more, I believe 
that there was an estrangement between Joe Han- 
som and the Major, whether the boy admits it or 
not. Perhaps you know something about that, 
53 


T^he Eve of 


Dollie ? ” The girl’s face flushed and then paled. 
She did not look at Joe as the doctor continued : 
“ Kirk, here, claims that those words, ‘ my dear 
son,’ refer to Joe. They do not. They refer to 
Philip Chesney, whom the Major had just taken 
back to his heart. Is it not reasonable ? Joe 
Kansom is not his son — never was his son ! ” The 
lawyer raised his hand as though about to speak, 
but dropped it again without doing so, and his face 
regained its impassive expression. “ Now,” cried 
the eager little doctor, “ what do you think of it, 
Dollie ? Should your Uncle Philip be barred from 
his own home — and at such a time ? It is a family 
affair ; but I am almost like one of the family, I 
hope. And did you not know of this matter over 
which I have reason to believe your grandfather 
and Joe Kansom quarreled ? ” 

“ There was something,” the girl breathed. “ I — 
I told him myself. Joe had done something that 
shocked my grandfather very much ; I could see it. 

There were two matters ” 

“ What did I tell you ? ” cried Prettyman, in 
exultation. “ How did the old gentleman take these 
things, Dollie ? ” 

“ I told him at dinner. I should not have done 
it ; I blame myself, now. Grandfather left his din- 
ner uneaten and shut himself into the library.” 

“ You did not see him again ? ” 

“ Not until Mammy Laura called to me that 
54 


The Eve ^ War 


something was the matter. Only Mercury saw 
him between dinner and the time we — we dis- 
covered he was ill. Grandfather sent for him.” 

‘‘Well, well, that is all right,” said Dr. Pretty- 
man, comfortably. “ IVe quite established my 
point, I think, Kirk. The old gentleman had 
reason to be angry with Joe. The boy won’t 
admit it, of course; but I got it straight from 
Philip himself. And now I say again that Philip 
should come home. Don’t you think so, Dollie ? ” 
Kirk sighed and lifted his gaze from the ground. 
“ Suppose we leave it to Miss Dollie,” he said, as 
though grasping at a straw. “ Certainly, Major 
Chesney had one of two people in mind when he 
began the last sentence written on this paper,” and 
he struck the document with a judicial forefinger. 
“ If Joe, then we can easily believe that Philip was 
still persona non grata to the Major ; if the other 

way Well, Dollie, what do you say ? Shall 

Philip Chesney be sent for at this trying time ? ” 
The girl’s glance fiew from the lawyer to the 
doctor, and finally turned upon Joe. The latter, 
almost numbed by the turn matters had taken, 
seemed to realize little of his situation. But Miss 
Dollie stared at him with growing scorn in her 
glance and a deepening crimson in her cheeks. “ I 
think we should send for Uncle Philip,” she said, 
the syllables dropping slowly from her lips. Then 
she turned her back upon her former playfellow 
55 


The Eve ^ War 

and disappeared in the direction of the breakfast- 
room. 

“Well, that’s settled,” declared the doctor, cheer- 
fully, after a moment’s strained silence. “ I must 
be going. The Major’ll get along very well now 
for a while,” and he bustled out to his carriage. 

Kirk glanced at the paper in his hand thought- 
fully. Then he walked into the house and opened 
the library door again. The master, all uncon- 
scious of what had gone on outside, still slept. The 
lawyer laid the paper upon the table. “Nurse,” 
he said, “ see that nothing in this room is disturbed 
— especially these papers lying here.” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

Joe heard him from the doorway. The lawyer 
did not glance at him, for since Dollie had spoken, 
a quick coldness seemed to have touched Mr. Kirk. 
He came out of the room, brushing by the boy with 
his gaze on the ground, and silently, and without 
offering Joe his hand, he went out and paced slowly 
down the walk to the gate. No word of comfort 
did he vouchsafe Joe, who stood alone; the whole 
world seemed against him. 

A little later he saw Uncle Luke, washed, dressed 
in his best, and as solemn as a graven image, enter 
the sick room. He took up his station at the farther 
end and from that time on, either he or Mammy 
Laura was in the room to watch the Major’s private 
papers. 


56 


The Eve War 


Philip came, as the doctor prophesied, before the 
day was over. He arrived at the house in a hack, 
with his luggage on top. He had made some effort 
to improve his personal appearance since the pre- 
vious afternoon; but he wore his cloak and hat 
rakishly, and twenty-four hours could not eliminate 
the marks of years of dissipation. But Dollie did 
not notice these defects. Her remembrance of him 
was only as a big, blithe fellow who tossed her high 
in the air and filled her chubby fists with sweets, 
and rode her on the back of a big hound he owned. 
The girl, being shut off from the sympathy of Joe 
by her belief in his unworthiness, welcomed her 
uncle all the more warmly, fiinging herself into his 
arms and sobbing bitterly on his shoulder. The 
quick gush of tears relieved her over-burdened 
heart. Joe, glowering at them from the back- 
ground of the porch, saw the evil smile on Philip’s 
lips, and trembled. 

Philip’s plan was plain to the boy. He easily un- 
derstood why the Major’s son had declared to Dr. 
Prettyman that the breach between his father and 
himself was healed. Philip was heart and soul for 
the South and he wanted his father’s money, and 
Dollie’s property as well, either to use for the cause, 
or for his own personal aggrandizement. Had Mr. 
Kirk not treated him so coldly when he left the 
house, the boy would have repeated to the lawyer 
the conversation he had overheard in the library be- 
57 


The Eve ^ War 


tween Philip and the Major. He did not know how 
Mr. Kirk stood upon political questions; but he 
might have taken the Major’s view of Philip’s inten- 
tions, and suspected that young man of seeking to 
feather his own nest while he played the patriot. 

Philip had evidently seen Dr. Prettyman and 
knew what occurred at the house in the morning. 
He ignored Joe’s presence altogether, speaking only 
to Dollie and Mammy Laura, and to Luke when the 
latter carried his bags up to his room. “ Will you 
go in and see grandfather. Uncle Philip ? ” Dollie 
asked. “ The nurse says he is awake.” 

“ Hot until the doctor comes. I know the state 
he is in, and perhaps it would not be wise to excite 
him by my presence,” Chesney replied. 

“ Oh, he will know you. He knows me,” declared 
the girl. “ His eyes show that his mind is not af- 
fected by this awful shock. He cannot move or 
speak, but he makes many of his wishes known 
by his eyes. I think he likes to have me with 
him.” 

“ Undoubtedly ; he is used to you,” said Chesney, 
with a smile. “ But perhaps I would only disturb 
him,” and he kept away from the library until even- 
ing, when Dr. Prettyman returned. 

“ And quite right, Chesney, quite right I ” decided 
the physician. “ Let him see nobody at present but 
those who are familiar to him. Of course, the nurse 
is obliged to remain. But Mammy Laura, and Luke, 
58 


The Eve ^ War 


and Dollie, he has been used to seeing every 
day. Wait until he gets stronger before you visit 
him.” 

Joe heard. 'Not a word was said about him. 
They paid no attention to him whatsoever. He 
might have been a thousand miles away. He wan- 
dered about the place dispirited. He would not go 
to the table at dinner-time, and had Mammy Laura 
not sent a tray up to his room by Mercury he 
would have gone supperless to bed. 

“ Ah nebber seen no sech folks in all ma life ! ” 
declared the little darky, gloomily. “ Dis yere’s a 
nawful time. Mars’ Joe ! An’ I don’ like dat Mars’ 
Philip Chesney. I done ’member him. He uster 
pull my years w’en he was home befo’.” 

“ Mind your manners, boy, and don’t criticise 
your elders,” Joe told him, and Mercury went away, 
muttering. 

Joe was unable to sleep much that night. He lay 
wide awake for hours and tried to decide what he 
should do. Should he leave the house and go to 
some friend’s to live until the Major got better — or 
worse ? Justice would not be done him, he felt 
sure, unless the Major recovered his power of 
speech. What became of the Major’s property was 
of little moment to him ; he cared nothing for the 
money. But he knew well that the old gentleman 
would not cast him off because of the difference of 
opinion which had arisen between them. He 
59 


The Eve of Yhsir 


thought little of the unsigned will excepting as it 
affected his present standing in the household. 

And if he left Chesney House, where should he 
go ? There was Tom Marshall. Tom was the one 
who had urged him to join the National Kifles. 
Tom was heartily in favor of the liberty of the 
Southern states, and he would doubtless cut him like 
everybody else if he knew that Joe was loyal to 
the Union. 

With the morning came no illumination of the 
problem ; but as he left the house after eating a 
lonely breakfast, he spied a black boy shuffling 
lazily up the walk with a letter in his hand. “ Is 
you Mars’ Joe Kansom ? ” demanded the messenger, 
spying the youth on the porch. Joe admitted it. 
“ Den hyar’s a letter fo’ yo’, sah. F’om Mars’ 
Charlie Stone. Yes, sah ! t’ank ye, sah ! ” 

Joe tore open the envelope and found its contents 
to be a briefly worded request to meet Mr. Stone 
at the Metropolitan Hotel at a certain hour 
that day. He had quite forgotten his talk with the 
gentleman on New Year’s eve, and now this worried 
him. But it suggested a new line of thought, and 
he welcomed the note for that reason. He set off 
for town almost immediately, arriving at the ren- 
dezvous some time ahead of the man he expected 
to interview. While he waited in the lobby he 
spied Captain Schaeffer, the well-known commander 
of the National Kifles, and the gentleman spoke to 
6o 


The Eve ^ War 


him. “ Ah, Kansom ! you’re another of our young 
men whom I hope to see enrolled soon. Young 
Marshall spoke to me of you — old Southern family, 
good fighting stock, and a good figure for the uni- 
form,” and the Captain laughed, patting him on the 
shoulder. “We shall see you at drill before long, I 
hope.” 

J oe stammered something, he hardly knew what, 
and the Captain passed out, to meet Mr. Stone him- 
self on the steps. “ Good-morning, Captain ! ” ex- 
claimed the latter. Then he added, when the 
Captain had returned his greeting, “ I have heard 
great reports of your company, sir — great reports ! 
It is the best drilled organization in the city.” 

“ Yes, it is a good company,” returned the Cap- 
tain, pleased by the compliment, “ and I suppose I 
shall soon have to lead it to the banks of the Sus- 
quehanna.” 

“ Why so ? ” and the questioner’s gaze sought 
Joe’s interested eyes meaningly, for the boy was 
within earshot. 

“ Why ! To guard the frontier of Maryland and 
help to keep the Yankees from coming down to 
coerce the South.” 

“ Sir I sir ! ” exclaimed Stone. “ This is most im- 
prudent of you^ — an employee of the Department of 
the Interior and Captain of a company of District 
of Columbia volunteers — to use such expressions.” 

“ My men are Marylanders,” declared Captain 

6i 


"The Eve War 


Schaeffer, proudly. “ They know their duty ; their 
rifles are ready to answer the call of their State at 
any moment.” 

“ Perhaps — perhaps,” returned Stone, thought- 
fully. “ But you are most imprudent, I assure you, 
in making such statements in public.” 

The Captain laughed and passed on down the 
steps. Not until he was out of sight did Mr. Stone 
speak to his young friend. “ He will learn of his 
imprudence to-morrow morning,” said that gentle- 
man, with a smile, when he hears that President 
Buchanan has commissioned me Staff Colonel and 
Inspector-General of the District of Columbia. 
General Scott has used his influence there, Kansom, 
and none of these fellows can do much now toward 
arming and equipping themselves against the Union, 
without my knowing all about it. I have just been 
mustered into the service on a special requisition of 
the General-in-Chief.” ^ 

“ Indeed, sir ! ” exclaimed Joe. “ Captain Schaef- 
fer seems very confident that everybody is of his 
own way of thinking. He has just asked me to 
join his company.” 

The gentleman seized his arm suddenly and 
wheeled him about that he might gaze into the 
boy’s eyes. “ Good I good ! ” he exclaimed. “ Noth- 
ing could be better. Joe Kansom, I want you to 

* stone was the first of two million and a half men called into 
the military service of the Government for the Civil War. 

62 


The Eve War 


accept that invitation. You must join the National 
Kifles before another day passes. If we are to balk 
the foolhardy plans of the officers of that company, 
we must inject loyal blood into its veins.” 


63 


CHAPTEK IV 


A MATTER OF OPINION 

Doubt followed astonishment in the expression 
of Joe Kansom’s countenance as he listened to Colo- 
nel Stone’s words. His friend was suggesting a 
course which he felt he could not accept. “ Why, 
sir, if I do that they will think I hold sentiments 
like their own. And wouldn’t it be almost spying 
upon them ? ” 

“ Wait ! ” exclaimed the Colonel. “ Let me place 
the matter in the right light before you condemn 
me and decry my suggestion. Wait until you have 
heard my reasons and a plain statement of the case. 
You are more cautious by nature than most boys of 
your age ; at least, such is your reputation. I hope 
you will not disprove it now.” 

“ Very well, sir,” said Joe, with a sigh. 

“ It is agreed, then ? Come in and have luncheon 
with me, and while we are eating we can talk. I 
must confess that General Scott’s appointment 
rather startled me,” the Colonel added, thought- 
fully. “ Inspector-General of the District means 
something at this time, Kansom.” 

“ It gives you a great deal of power, sir ? ” 

“ Yes. And I understand what the General ex- 
64 


‘The Eve ^ War 


pects me to do, although he did not open his lips 
upon the subject. My boy, we who are loyal in 
this city occupy a very, very uncertain position. 
We know that enemies of the Government are at 
work, molelike as well as in the open, to overthrow 
the Federal power.” 

“ But the President ? ” 

“ The President, sir, scarcely knows where he 
stands himself ; or, such is my opinion. He is 
bound too closely with the South by political ties 
to feel free to act. And his cabinet is being dis- 
integrated because of cowardice, or from worse 
motives. Thank heaven, the new Secretary of 
War is, I believe, honest. Nevertheless, if Presi- 
dent Buchanan desired to, he could not bring reg- 
ular troops into Washington now without causing 
an uprising all over the South. Our hope is en- 
tirely in the volunteer companies of the District. 
If an explosion can be avoided until after Mr. Lincoln 
takes his seat, he may find some way of pacifying 
the South. As I informed General Scott the other 
night, I believe two-thirds of the people of this dis- 
trict are loyal ; but they are inactive. Whereas the 
people of Southern sentiment are extremely active, 
and — talkative,” referring with a smile to Captain 
Schaeffer’s bombastic prophecy of a few moments 
before. 

‘‘ The only regular troops near the capital at the 
present time are three or four hundred marines at 

65 


'The Eve (y' War 


the marine barracks, and three officers and fifty- 
three men of ordnance at the Washington arsenal. 
The only armed volunteer organizations in the dis- 
trict are the Potomac Light Infantry (one company 
at Georgetown), the Washington Light Infantry of 
about one hundred and sixty men, the National 
Guard Battalion, which has but a few members, 
and the National Kifles. Schaeffer has a hundred 
men, and more are joining every day. He has a 
full complement of rifles and two hundred rounds 
of ammunition. Floyd gave him those before he 
resigned his portfolio. Oh, these fellows have been 
preparing for this for months, while we have been 
asleep. That is what is the matter with the North. 
She is asleep ! ” declared Colonel Stone with sup- 
pressed vehemence. “But she will wake up — she 
will indeed. Pray heaven she may not be awak- 
ened too late.” 

“ You frighten me, sir,” said Joe. “If it comes 
to real war — an insurrection of the South against 
the Government — the regular army could quickly 
put the uprising down. Even Major Chesney de- 
clared the other day that a division of the States 
could not last.” 

“ The old gentleman is right,” grunted the other. 
“ But it might be a question which division of the 
Union would stand ! The country is big enough, 
goodness knows ; but not big enough for two gov- 
ernments. And as for the regular army, do you 
66 


The Eve War 


know how large this vaunted army of ours is, young 
man ? ” with a sudden smile. 

“ I have no idea, sir.” 

I know. I have had interest enough in the 
past few weeks to find out. There are but sixteen 
thousand three hundred odd men and officers. A 
mighty army indeed. Ransom ! ” 

“ But it seems a lot, sir.” 

“ Not for real war. Nor even a great number to 
put down an uprising of traitors to the Government 
and the flag.” 

Joe winced. ‘‘You — you speak very strongly, 
sir.” 

“ I speak earnestly, young man.” The gentle- 
man dropped his knife and fork. “ Joe Ransom,” 
he said, “suppose we have this out. You were half 
angry with me a minute ago because I suggested 
something which you considered underhanded and 
ignoble — because I asked you to join this company 
of traitors against your government so as to help us 
balk their plans. No ! listen until I am through,” 
and he raised his hand for silence. “ This is a seri- 
ous matter. We must meet secret treachery with 
secret loyalty. Oppose cunning to cunning. This 
company of National Rifles claims openly to be a 
volunteer organization formed to protect the Gov- 
ernment. Will it protect the Government if the 
necessity for protection arises ? You heard what 
Schaeffer said to me.” 


67 


The Eve ^ War 


Joe was silent. These arguments were unan- 
swerable. 

“ Let me tell you,” pursued Colonel Stone, “ that 
these Southern sympathizers are anxious to attack 
us. They will strike like the copperhead serpent of 
their own swamps, without warning ! Some of 
them — I do not say all — have determined that 
Maryland, and therefore the District of Columbia, 
shall remain in the southern division of this Union ; 
and some of them have even planned to make the 
inauguration of the new President impossible, if 
their plot to seize Washington should fail. They 
are working in the dark ; they are tunneling the 
ground beneath our feet ; they are like the wood- 
worm which works unsuspected beneath the fair 
bark of the tree until at last a squall of wind 
brings the head of the tree low. And suppose — 
only suppose, my boy — that the flag you love, 
the stars and stripes, is nailed to this rotten 
mast ? The flag will go down, too ! Can you 
wish to see that happen, sir, and still call yourself 
loyal ? ” 

Through the last of the Colonel’s harangue Joe’s 
head had come up and his eyes, mist-filled, but 
wide open, scrutinized the gentleman’s face. Now 
he cried aloud : “No, sir ! I won’t stand it ! I — I 
was wrong, sir. If I can help you, if there is any- 
thing for me to do, give it to me. I’ll be faithful, 
sir. I’ll be faithful ! ” 


68 


The Eve ^ War 


The gentleman stretched his hand across the table 
and clasped the boy’s own, firmly. “Of course 
you will, Kansom. I knew that from the beginning. 
I knew your father, and Ethan Kansom’s boy could 
not go back on the flag, I was sure ! ” 

“ But Major Chesney seemed to think I ought to 
remember my southern up-bringing — and my 
mother was a southern woman.” 

“ And so you ought. But the Major will not say 
you nay in this.” 

“ He can’t, you know, sir.” 

“ Then you are your own master. You will do 
what I have asked ? ” 

“If — if they invite me to join again I’ll give 
them my name,” said Joe, slowly. 

“ All right. That’s what I want. After you get 
in, you will find other loyal men there. If there 
are enough we’ll get rid of this hot-head, Schaeffer, 
and his followers, and put the company into the 
control of a Union man. I have one in mind. 

. And now. Ransom, I don’t care to have 
folk see us together. I will leave here first. If 
you call upon me, come either at night, or when 
there are few people about to see us; for, before 
many days, I shall probably be much disliked and 
perhaps feared by some of our fire-eating friends 
from the South.” 

He went away then and a little later Joe left the 
hotel, also, but by the side door. He was very 
69 


The Eve of War 


grave indeed, and felt years older than he had when 
he entered it that morning. Major Chesney’s 
sad state had sobered and aged him ; but this busi- 
ness scaled his boyhood from him completely. Un- 
til the reaction came — youth is always blessed by 
that, no matter how great the trouble or serious the 
thought — he would feel the responsibility of the 
situation even more deeply than Colonel Stone him- 
self, perhaps. 

He had not gone two blocks from the hotel when 
he was hailed by a jolly voice, and a roomy family 
carriage stopped beside him. “ Hi ! hi ! ” shrilled 
the voice. ‘‘Come along here, Joe. How’s the 
poor old Major ? ” 

Joe turned to see Tom Marshall sitting in the 
driver’s seat, while behind him was a very pretty, 
slender girl, his sister, and Paul Gladden, who 
looked anything but nice at the moment, for 
he was scowling at this first view of Joe since 
their difficulty on the Chesney lawn. “ Come on, 
Joe!” repeated Tom, who was a whole-hearted, 
harum-scarum sort of a fellow, greatly beloved by 
his mates. 

Joe approached the carriage slowly, and looked 
questioningly at Amy Marshall. He remembered 
what Dollie had told him, and expected Tom’s 
sister would not be pleased to see him. But 
Amy only blushed consciously, and inclined her 
head. It was evident that she was not yet willing 
70 


The Eve ^ War 


to “ cut ” young Kansom completely. “ Hurry up, 
old man,” continued Tom. “ 1 want to speak to 
you. Somebody’s been talking about you and you 
must deny what he says.” 

“Why must I?” queried Joe, swinging himself 
into the seat beside his friend, but carefully con- 
cealing his face from him as well as from the others 
in the carriage. 

“Well, I reckon there isn’t much need of your 
denying it, after all,” and Tom laughed. “ When 
folks tell me that Joe Kansom would do anything 
dishonorable, I just laugh. I don’t even get mad. 
It’s too silly.” 

“ That is what I think,” said Amy, softly. 

“ There may be a difference of opinion as to what 
is dishonorable,” faltered J oe. 

“Ho haggling ! Of course there isn’t,” cried Tom. 

“ Old man, you never saw but one side of a ques- 
tion yet ! ” 

“Umph ! but it isn’t always the right side I see. 
I’ll be bound,” and young Marshall laughed rather 
ruefully. His scrapes were notable in number and 
variety. “ But there can’t be but one side to this 
matter, for a Southerner.” 

“ Oh, dear,” said Joe, sorrowfully ; “ is it that ? ” 

“ Why, I have been told that you are suspected 
of being a Yankee ! ” 

“Hot a geographical possibility,” returned Joe. 

“ Don’t laugh. It’s serious, isn’t it, Ame ? ” 

71 


"The Eve of Yfzv 


“ It would be if it were anybody else who was 
accused. But we all know Joe,” said Amy. 

“ Look here ! ” cried young Kansom, desperately, 
“ don’t you believe that a person who doesn’t see 
things just as you do may be just as near right as 
you are ? Now, tell me ? ” 

“ Of course. That isn’t the point, old man, and 
you know it. The question is this,” and Marshall 
became grave and allowed the lazy horses to drop 
into a walk; “If there’s any fighting, will you 
join the National Kifles ? ” 

“ No-o, that isn’t just it, Tom,” cried his sister. 
“Yes, it is. We know what the company is re- 
cruiting for, and so does Joe. Are you with us, 
old man ? Shall I put in your name ? ” 

“Any time you please,” said Joe, astonished at 
his own calmness. “ Though I may not see things 
just as you do ” 

“That’s enough. You always were slow, old 
chap. But once get your mind made up, and you 
are a stayer. I know you.” 

Gladden on the back seat grunted. “I didn’t 
think such a nigger-lover as you, Eansom, would 
want to join the company.” 

That remark was all that was needed to steady 
Joe’s nerves. “ Oh, is that you. Gladden ? ” he 
asked. “ Do you still feel the tingle of that cane ? ” 
Tom broke into a roar of laughter, which his 
sister checked with a look. “You boys must not 
72 


The Eve of Vh ax 


quarrel,” she said. “I will not allow it. We can 
none of us afford to waste our time and strength 
in private bickerings. There is something greater 
afoot.” 

“Well, Paul needn’t fling mud, then,” remarked 
Tom, inelegantly, quick to take his chum’s part. 
“ The matter with him is that he’s afraid he won’t 
get taken into the company because he’s under 
weight and under size. Joe will go through like a 
greased pig at a county fair.” 

“ Thanks ! ” said Joe, drily, and they all laughed, 
Paul rather crestfallen. In his secret soul, Joe 
hoped that no real trouble would arise in Wash- 
ington. It seemed impossible that friends and 
neighbors would conspire against each other and, 
in the end, resort to force of arms for what still 
looked to him like a matter of political opinion. 
There were thousands of men all over the North 
who considered the situation just as Joe did. They 
did not believe there would be a war ; and if troops 
were called out, the South wouldn’t fight. These 
people were of the opinion later that the “ ninety 
day men ” could put down the insurrection. 

Joe was glad to get away from his young friends, 
and ran home swiftly from the Marshall house. 
As he drew near he observed Philip Chesney strid- 
ing up and down the porch in his long military 
cloak, while Luke was just crossing the lawn from 
the stable. Joe was close enough to hear the first 
73 


The Eve of 


words that passed between the Major’s son and the 
black man. “ What do you want here at the house, 
Luke?” demanded Philip, sharply, as the negro 
put his foot upon the porch. 

“ Dey jes’ sen’ fo’ me ter take Laura’s place in de 
sick-room, sah.” 

“ What do they want you in there for ? ” and 
the white man scowled down upon him. 

“ Ah might be wanted, sah ; ter lift de Majah, ’r 
sumpin’.” 

‘‘Nonsense! You’ve got no business in there; 
your place is in the stable. Go back to it. You’re 
not a house servant.” 

“ Ah’m sorry ter disobleege ye. Mars’ Philip, but 
ah gotter go in.” 

“ Mind what I tell you ! ” and Philip’s clenched 
hand came out from under his cloak. 

“ Ah gotter go in, sah,” replied Luke, firmly, and 
planted his other foot on the porch. 

The Major’s son uttered an angry ejaculation and 
advanced toward him with blazing eyes. “You 
black rascal ! You need a lesson, you do 1 ” 

Luke did not cower. He was a strong limbed, if 
squat man, with an intelligent face. He folded his 
arms and looked the white man in the eye. “ Y o’ kin 
strike me. Mars’ Philip — ’t won’t be de firs’ time. 
But ah gotter go inter dat room, jes’ de same ! ” 

“ You mean that you won’t obey me ? I’ll show 
you that I am master here,” and Philip’s hand un- 
74 


The Eve ^ War 


clenched, falling heavily upon the black man’s 
shoulder. He tried to fling Luke around and push 
him off the porch ; but the latter stood as though 
rivetted to the flags. 

“ Dar’s somebod}’^ ah’m boun’ ter take ma orders 
f om, sah,” he declared, quietly. 

“ Whom do you mean, you black scoundrel ? ” 

“ Mars’ Kirk. He done tole me an’ Laura ter 
stay dere ” 

“ Quite right, Luke ; quite right,” said a quiet 
voice, and Philip swung about to see the lawyer 
himself standing in the doorway. Joe, who had 
seen Mr. Kirk first, found himself still ignored by 
that gentleman, as well as by the Major’s son. 
“But I can dispense with you just at present, 
Luke,” added the lawyer, kindly. “ I shall be here 
myself for some minutes. When I go you can 
come into the library, as usual.” 

“ Yas, sah.” The black man turned away with 
unmoved countenance ; but when he saw Joe stand- 
ing at one side, he pulled off his cap and “ ducked ” 
to him as respectfully as ever. “ Don’t yo’ wanter 
exercise de bosses, sah?” he asked, showing his 
teeth in a smile. “ Dey jes’ suff’rin’ for a run.” 

“I don’t feel like driving to-day, Luke, thank 
you,” returned the boy. 

“ I’se bery sorry fo’ dat, sah ! ” declared Luke. 
“ You ’n’ Miss Dollie feel much better ef yo’ take 
yo’ rides like yo’ useter.” 


75 


The Eve ^ War 


Joe did not reply, but the negro’s evident 
friendliness — the fact that he recognized him as 
still retaining his old place in the household — 
warmed Joe Kansom’s heart. At the moment, 
however, he was deeply interested in the meeting 
of the lawyer and Philip Chesney. The latter 
was staring Mr. Kirk up and down in a most 
haughty manner; but the look seemed lost upon 
the lawyer. 

“ So, sir, you propose to usurp authority here, do 
you ? ” demanded Philip. 

“ Er — ‘ usurp ’ is scarcely the word, sir,” returned 
the lawyer in his hesitating way. 

“ Well, sir, it will not be for long ! ” 

“ By that I presume that you have every hope of 
your father’s quick recovery ? I pray so,” said the 
lawyer, bitingly. 

The Major’s son was silenced for a moment, and 
the red blood dyed his dark face. “ You carry 
matters with a high hand, sir ! How dare you set 
a guard in my father’s sick-room ?” 

guard?” repeated the lawyer, in apparent 
amazement. 

“Oh, don’t quibble, Mr. Kirk. I know your 
tricks — I have reason to know them. You have 
placed Luke and Laura yonder to watch everything 
that goes on in my father’s room.” 

“ Oh, they are there to help the nurse,” said Kirk, 
coolly. “ Is there need, do you think, of a watch 
76 


The Eve of Tfzi: 


to be kept ? ” and he asked the question so pointedly 
that Philip paled again and stamped up and down 
in fury. 

“ You haven’t seen the end of this, sir ! ” he 
growled. ‘‘ I’ll be even with you all. The time 
is coming when I’ll be master of this place and 
then ” 

“Well, sir?” asked Kirk, carelessly, looking off 
across the lawn. 

“ I’ll kick you all out ! ” 

“ That would be sad — that would be sad,” mur- 
mured Kirk. 

Before either could speak again Dollie came to 
the door. “ Doctor Pretty man says. Uncle Philip, 
that grandfather is much stronger. He is awake 
now and seems to wish something, or to see some- 
body. That is the way we read his efforts to make 
himself understood — the poor dear! He tries so 
hard to tell us what he wants ! I thought perhaps 
he had heard Mr. Kirk’s voice and wished to see 
him on business matters ; but the doctor thinks it 
is you he wants. Will you come ? ” 

“I will. Miss Dollie,” said the lawyer, with 
alacrity, before Philip could reply. 

“ And you. Uncle Philip ? ” 

“ Why — er — yes, of course ! If the doctor thinks 
it is best.” He hesitated and the color flew to his 
face again. Kirk turned and searched him with 
his eyes. Finally the lawyer looked at Joe, stand- 
77 


‘The Eve ^ War 


ing miserably by the step. “ You will come, too, 
young man,” he said, shortly. 

Joe started and looked at him in some anger as 
well as surprise. The lawyer vouchsafed no other 
word, but strode into the house. Dollie did not 
look at Joe, but put her hand confidingly on her 
uncle’s arm. The boy was tempted to fiee from the 
place ; it seemed horrible to him, this bickering and 
quarreling when the dear old Major was so ill. 
Yet something in the tone of the lawyer’s voice 
spurred him to obey. It seemed a challenge to him. 
If he did not enter the library they might all believe 
that he was afraid. It would look as though, in 
truth, his kind guardian had quarreled with him and 
he was afraid to approach his bedside. So he 
finally went, slowly. 

Mr. Kirk entered first and Dollie followed ; but 
Philip seemed to hang back at the threshold and 
Joe passed before him. Dr. Pretty man was at the 
sick man’s side and motioned the quartette forward. 
The outlines of the Major’s body, with his head 
resting stiffly on the pillow, impressed them all 
strongly. He looked like a corpse, only his eyes 
were bright — unnaturally so. They sparkled under 
his overhanging brows like two jewels. At Mr. 
Kirk’s appearance the gleaming eyes mellowed and 
the right side of his face, which was less affected 
than the left, seemed to wrinkle into an attempt at 
a smile. Kirk accepted this as a welcome and said : 
78 


The Eve ^ War 


“ Glad to see you no worse, Major. Everything is 
all right, sir. I am personally attending to matters 
of importance.” 

A sigh of relief escaped the patient’s lips. The 
lawyer stepped to one side, but stood so that he 
could not only watch the eyes of the sick man, but 
could see the faces of those who came after him. 
At Dollie’s advent the eyes glowed and seemed to 
expand, and the poor face twisted into a smile of 
endearment. “ Dear grandfather ! ” whispered the 
girl and knelt down beside the bed. 

And then a most astonishing change came into the 
almost expressionless face of Major Chesney. The 
gentleness went out of the eyes; instead of that 
kindly light, they seemed to flash Are, and the 
wrinkled face grew grim. The doctor looked up 
with a muttered exclamation; Dollie raised her 
eyes, too. Joe’s face was directly in range of the 
sick man’s eyes, which seemed to be staring straight 
at the boy. The latter was pale and his lips trem- 
bled ; he, too, saw the evident repugnance in that 
glance. 

“ Young man, you had better retire ! ” exclaimed 
the doctor, sharply. Kirk lifted his hand as though 
to stay him ; then dropped it. He alone of those at 
the head of the bed noticed that Philip Chesney’s 
face had been visible over Joe’s shoulder. At whom 
was that glance aimed by the Major ? 

But Joe felt its full significance. He dropped his 
79 


"The Eve of WdiV 


chin upon his breast and turned sadly away. 
Philip stepped aside and went carelessly to the fire. 
“ Won’t you speak to him, Philip ?” suggested the 
doctor. 

“ I think he has been disturbed enough,” returned 
the son, evenly. “ It will do him no good to see so 
many people at once.” 

“ Well, well ! perhaps you are right.” 

Joe had reached the door and now he passed 
through into the hall without looking back. Dol- 
lie’s troubled gaze followed him; the doctor was 
looking at Philip as he spoke. Therefore it was 
only Kirk who saw a great tear steal out of the 
sick man’s eye and roll down his wrinkled cheek. 
And this set Lawyer Kirk to thinking. 


So 


CHAPTEK y 


IN THE CAMP OF THE ENEMY 

It is fortunate that an unexpected incident claimed 
Joe Ransom’s undivided attention that evening. 
Otherwise the scene in the library, when Major 
Chesney’s accusing eyes seemed to have bored him 
with their glance, would have worked upon his 
mind until there is no knowing what Joe might not 
have done. He was in that mental state which 
breeds recklessness. Again and again before dinner 
he was tempted to secure some of his clothing and 
leave the house. He felt that he could go to no 
friend in Washington ; nor could he return to South 
Carolina. But there was one course open to him 
and he had only recently thought of that. 

He could go into the army. He knew that al- 
most any recruiting officer would take him — if not 
in the district, then in Hew York ; and he had just 
money enough to get there. When the dinner-hour 
arrived he avoided the dining-room as he had since 
Philip came into the house. But Mammy Laura 
did not forget him. Mercury found him pacing the 
walk and urged him up-stairs to his room where the 
meal was laid for him upon a little table ; and there 
the grinning black boy stood behind the chair and 
8i 


T^he Eve of 'Wzr 


waited upon him with vast satisfaction. “ Byrne 
by I’se gwine ter be yo’ body sarbint, an’ wait on 
yo’ all de time,” he declared. 

“ I^onsense, Mercury ! ” responded Joe. “ You’ll 
get tired of staying with me.” 

I’se gwine wid yo’ w’en yo’ leabes, Mars’ Joe,” 
declared the boy. 

“What would I leave home for? ’’queried Joe, 
quickly. 

“Ter jine de army an’ lick dem no-count Yan- 
kees ! ” cried Mercury, earnestly. 

“Hear the boy!” ejaculated Joe. “Why, they 
say these Yankees want to free all you darkies; 
make you just as good as we whites are.” 

“ Umpah I ” grunted the black boy. “ A free 
nigger ain’ no better dan po’ w’ite trash. But ef 
ah b’longed ter Mars’ Philip Chesney, ah’d run 
erway mighty quick, jes’ d’ same ! ” 

But this was not the incident in question. Just 
after he had finished his lonely dinner Joe heard a 
horse rattle up to the porch, and a halloa which he 
knew well. It was Tom Marshall’s voice and he 
ran to the window to see what was the matter. 

“ Oh, there you are ! ” shouted Tom. “ Come on 
down. I’ll tell Uncle Luke to saddle a horse for 
you. You’re wanted.” 

“ Wanted ? ” repeated Joe, in surprise. “ What 
do you mean ? ” 

“ Why, I happened to see Captain Schaeffer after 
82 


The Eve War 


you left us, and he told me to be sure to bring you 
to the drill to-night. He says you’re as good as 
elected a member of the National Rifles. Come 
on ! ” and Tom urged his horse toward the stable, 
in search of Uncle Luke. 

Joe ran down, much relieved in his mind, yet 
feeling a nervous palpitation within that was new 
to him. Dollie was in the hall, and had heard 
Tom’s words with much amazement. She looked 
at Joe curiously as he reached the door. “ So you 
have come to your senses, have you ? ” she asked 
him. He could not reply and hurried out. But 
somebody else heard Dollie’s question as well as 
Tom’s shout at the door. Philip Chesney strode 
from the dining-room with lowering brows and Are 
in his shifty eyes. ‘‘ Where’s he going ? ” he de- 
manded, roughly, of Dollie. 

She stared at him, astonished by the change in 
his voice. “ He is going with Tom to the drill. 
The foolish boy seems to have come to his right 
mind. Tom says Captain Schaeffer has asked Joe 
to join.” 

“ Ha ! ” exclaimed Philip. Schaeffer is an idiot. 
I would not trust J oe Ransom for a moment — not 
for a moment.” 

Then for the first time Dollie drew away from 
him, and her eyes glanced askance at his black 
face. “ Not — trust — Joe ? ” she whispered. 

“ You don’t trust him yourself, do you ? ” snapped 

83 


The Eve ^ War 


Philip. “ And surely my father has got through 
with him. Why should he quarrel with Major 
Chesney over this very matter of his lack of loyalty 
to our cause, and then turn around and join us ? ” 

“ Why — why — he has seen his error, I suppose. 
Surelj^ Uncle Philip, you believe that people may 
change their opinions and beliefs upon sober 
thought ? ” 

“ I don’t like such ‘ deathbed conversions,’ ” de- 
clared Philip, gloomily, and departed without 
further words. Dollie watched him go with a puz- 
zled frown. “ Why — why, he doesn’t seem to want 
J oe to cast his lot in with us ! ” she whispered to 
herself. 

Meanwhile Joe had reached the stable and with 
Uncle Luke’s assistance was hastily saddling a 
horse. It was dark on the floor of the barn and the 
old slave backed out the horse himself. When Joe 
came to mount into his seat he found that the 
black man had saddled the Major’s own horse in- 
stead of the short-legged cob that he usually rode. 
“ Luke, you careless old man ! ” he cried, in a vexed 
tone ; “ you’ve given me Sultan.” 

“ Yas, sah,” returned the servant, bowing and 
scraping. “Ah knows ah has, sah. Yo’ better 
ride him now dat Majah Chesney cayn’t, sah.” 

“ I^onsense, Luke ! What folly.” 

“ Come on, Joe ! hfever mind which horse you 
get ! ” cried Tom, from the lane. 

84 


The Eve of Wax 


“ But this is the Major’s. You know well enough, 
Tom, how particular the old gentleman has been of 
Sultan. Sultan came from Carolina with us. The 
Major raised him, himself.” 

“ I don’t care if he was raised with patent yeast 
powder ! ” Tom called back to him. “ Get aboard 
and come on. We’ve no time to lose. Drill is 
called for eight, sharp.” 

“ Yo’ go on dat boss. Mars’ Joe. Uncle Luke 
know wot he doin’,” declared the black man. “ Ah 
gib him to ye jes’ cos he was ol’ mars’ mount. An’ 
ah don’ know nobody wot has er better right ter 
fling a laig ober Sultan dan you, sah.” He slapped 
Sultan soundly on the flank, and Joe had all he 
could do to retain his seat as the great horse plunged 
out of the stable and down the lane after Tom 
Marshall’s mount. But Joe was an excellent rider 
and soon obtained a Arm seat and a restraining grip 
on Sultan’s rein. The horse, although he was rising 
fifteen years, had the fire and spirit of a three-year- 
old. Only on special occasions had Joe ridden him 
before, and he was secretly delighted to back the 
horse now. Besides, it seemed another token that 
Uncle Luke, at least, believed him to still be in Major 
Chesney’s confidence and an object of his affection. 

When they reached the armory the two boys 
happened to immediately fall in with Captain 
Schaeffer, and that gentleman welcomed Joe 
warmly. It was not that the National Bifles 

85 


The Eve War 


lacked recruits ; but Major Chesney’s name would 
carry weight with many half-hearted people, and it 
was generally believed that Joe was the Major’s 
adopted son and heir. His name on the roll of the 
company would mean a good deal to the standing 
of the organization. So confident was the Captain 
that the new recruit would be admitted that Joe 
was taken to the office of the medical examiner at 
once. And this examiner was none other than Dr. 
Prettyman. 

To say the least, the physician was vastly aston- 
ished. “ What ! Joe Kansom ! ” he exclaimed, 
when Joe and the Captain entered. 

** How, now, doctor ! ” exclaimed the Captain. 
“ Don’t let us have any outburst from you. I know 
what I am about, and I know all that you would 
say. The stories regarding Master Joseph Kansom 
have reached my ears as well as yours. How he 
comes to refute those falsehoods by the boldest 
means in his power. He is slow to make up his 
mind, perhaps, in this great matter; but I doubt 
not he will be a wonderfully efficient recruit.” 

“ Well, I am only too glad if he has had a change 
of heart 

‘‘ I do not think you have any right to say that, 
sir,” said Joe, finding his voice, and astonished to 
discover that it did not tremble in the least. “ I 
have never stated my opinion upon political matters 
to you.” 


86 


T'he Eve of Wzx 


“Well, Joe, I heard ” 

“ You’ll hear a lot of fol-de-rol if you keep your 
ears open these days,” declared Captain Schaeffer, 
good-humoredly. And so the boy was put through 
the necessary examination without further hesita- 
tion on the doctor’s part and was even measured for 
the uniform of the Kifles — a very neat and at- 
tractive dress, rather better than that of the other 
volunteer organizations of the district. He was 
assigned to “ the awkward squad ” immediately, 
which company of raw recruits Captain Schaeffer 
himself drilled ; and after the exercises Tom, who 
had been a member of the organization some weeks, 
took him over the armory. Joe was shown the 
rifle racks, in which were the heavy brown guns 
with their long, sabre-like bayonets ; the ammunition- 
room ; and then two pieces of armament that aston- 
ished him and which he was quite sure Colonel 
Stone did not know were in the possession of the 
company. These were two mountain howitzers 
with harness and carriages, and with them was a 
large number of sabres and cavalry pistols drawn 
from the United States Ordnance Office. “ Why, 
this is not a cavalry or artillery company, Tom ! ” 
exclaimed the astonished Ransom. 

“ That don’t matter ; it may be some day,” and 
Tom winked knowingly. “ Nothing like having 
things in readiness, and Captain Schaeffer knows 
how to get these things from the War Department.” 

87 


T’he Eve ^ War 


But Joe was very sure that Captain Schaeffer 
should not know how to do this, and after grave 
thought he decided that it was his duty to inform 
Colonel Stone. So the next morning he mentioned 
to Mercury when he sat down to his lonely break- 
fast that he was going to town, and immediately 
that youth disappeared, having set the viands upon 
the table before his young master. When Joe 
reached the front door he understood why the little 
darky had so suddenly left him, for there was 
Mercury holding Sultan before the horse-block. 
“ Who’s that for, Merc ? ” demanded Joe, stopping 
suddenly and scowling a little. 

“He for yo’. Mars’ Joe. Ah fought proberbly 
yo’d wan ter ride ter town an’ ah tol’ Uncle Luke. 
He done saddle Sultan, sah.” 

“ But — I don’t know about this. Perhaps I’d 
better ride Jackie.” 

“ Sultan jes’ need exercisin’ eb’ry day, sah. Luke 
say so. Ah kin trot Jackie an’ Miss Dollie’s horse 
roun’ de neighborhood ; but Luke says dat nobody 
gwine ter straddle de Majah’s boss but yo’, sah ! ” 
There was the sudden sound of crunching gravel 
beneath heavy bootsoles and Philip Chesney turned 
the corner of the house. “ What’s this ? ” he ex- 
claimed, instantly. “ Who told you to saddle that 
horse ? Isn’t that Sultan ? ” 

“ Yaas, sah,” said Mercury, sullenly, hanging his 
head. 


88 


The Eve ^ War 


“ Well, you black imp ! Why don’t you answer 
my other question ? Who told you to saddle that 
horse ? ” 

“ Ah didn’ saddle it, Mars’ Philip,” returned the 
little darky. “ Unc’ Luke did.” 

“And who told Luke to saddle my father’s 
horse ? ” and Philip flashed a wicked glance at Joe, 
standing on the porch. 

“ Uncle Luke has done this on his own respon- 
sibility, Mr. Chesney,” said Joe, quietly. “ Mercury 
is not at fault. Luke understood that I was going 
to town and, the horse needing exercise, I suppose 
he thought I might use him. But I have a horse of 
my own that suits me quite as well.” 

“ Who spoke to you ? ” demanded Philip, insult- 
ingly. “ Mind your own business — if you have any ! 
As for you ! ” he cuffed Mercury’s ears by way of 
emphasis, “ take that horse back to the stable.” 

Sultan, frightened by this demonstration, reared 
and almost threw the black boy under his hoofs. 
Joe ran down from the porch, his face whitening. 
“ Stop ! ” he cried. “ The boy is not to blame, I tell 
you ! ” 

Philip Chesney had caught Sultan’s bridle. Now 
he turned again upon Joe. “ Keep away from this 
horse — and from the other horses in the stable. I 
have heard about the horse you claim is yours ; 
you’ll find that few things about here belong to 
you, young man. And you can be sure that you’ll 
89 

I 


The Eve War 


not be allowed to ride Sultan. If anybody rides 

him ” The horse was dancing about nervously. 

“ Be still, you brute ! ” roared Philip, raising his 
hand to the spirited creature. 

“Don’t do that!” cried Joe, earnestly. “He 
won’t stand it — he isn’t used to it, you know. He 
is very nervous and high-spirited.” 

“ And I’ll break his spirit — as I will yours — 
before I’m through with him ! ” snarled the man, 
hanging to the bridle of the horse, and seeking 
again to strike him. Uncle Luke came running 
across the lawn, having seen the trouble from the 
rear of the stable. “Hoi’ on dar. Mars’ Philip! 
Don’ yo’ strike dat hoss ! It not be well fo’ yo’ ef 
yo’ does. La wsy -massy ! de beas’ kill yo’ ! ” 

“ Get out of the way ! ” exclaimed Philip in turn, 
striving to reach the now thoroughly affrighted 
Sultan, who kept at the end of the strap with ears 
laid back and white teeth snapping. 

But Uncle Luke sprang forward and snatched 
the bridle from the man’s hand. “Yo’ wanter 
spile de bestes’ hoss de ol’ Majah own ? ” he de- 
manded, in anger. “ Let ’um be ! Hyar, Mars’ 
J oe ! Fling yo’ laig ober him an’ quiet him. He 
know you.” 

J oe saw no better way of soothing the horse and, 
besides, he was angry enough now to flatly disobey 
Philip. “I forbid you, sir!” gasped Philip. But 
Joe led the handsome brute to the horse-block and 
90 



“ /^<9.V’ VO' BO IT, MARS' PHILIP!" 
^ SHOUTED THE BLACK MAN 



The Eve ^ War 


there vaulted lightly into the saddle. “ Stop ! ” 
yelled Philip, and Joe beheld a long-barreled, 
wicked looking pistol in the hand of the Major’s 
son. “ Get off that horse instantly, or I’ll shoot 
either you or it ! ” declared the enraged man. 

Instantly Uncle Luke leaped between the threat- 
ening muzzle of the weapon and the curveting 
horse and rider. “ Don’ yo’ do it. Mars’ Philip ! ” 
shouted the black man, in agony. “ Yo’d be a 
murderer ! Yo’ gotter shoot t’rough me ef yo’ 
does ! ” 

But Joe, having gained control of the horse, now 
lost control of his own temper. He was too much 
enraged at the moment to think of personal danger. 
Forcing Sultan toward the group, he leaned from 
his saddle, and with his free hand pushed Luke to 
one side. Then, riding directly up to Philip Ches- 
ney and stooping low, he thrust his face into that 
of the raging man. “ Shoot ! ” he said, in a low 
voice. “ Why don’t you ? Shoot either the horse 
or me — I dare you to, Philip Chesney ! ” The 
latter, crowded back by the nervous movements of 
the horse, dropped the pistol to his side. “ You are 
a coward — a contemptible coward ! ” exclaimed 
Joe, still in that low, tense tone. “There never 
was a coward named Chesney before, I believe. 
Thank God there never was — and never will be — 
one named Kansom.” 

Then swinging Sultan about quickly, he gave him 

91 


'The Eve ^ War 


rein and the eager horse dashed down the drive to- 
ward the gate. As the horse spurned the gravel 
with his hoofs, the pebbles stung the cheek of Joe’s 
enemy. The contact seemed to spur Philip to un- 
governable passion, and with a snarl he raised the 
pistol and aimed it at the horseman’s back. But 
like a flash Uncle Luke threw himself upon him 
from behind and pinioned his arms to his sides. 
“ Yo’ shan’t do dat, Mars’ Philip ! ” he cried. “ 'No 
Chesney eber shot a enemy in de back yit — an’ no 
Chesney before yo’ eber wanted to ! ” 

In a minute Joe, all unconscious of his momentary 
peril, was out of sight. Then Luke released the 
Major’s son. The latter hastily hid the pistol 
again. His face was yellow with rage and for a 
moment he could not speak. Then he muttered : 
“You’ll suffer for this, you black dog! Killing 
would be too good for you ; beating wouldn’t suit 
me, either; you’ll go to the market-block yet — 
mark my words. And I’ll see that you get a mas- 
ter who’ll treat you as you deserve 1 ” 

He strode away, for Uncle Luke was silent. 
Little Mercury seized the black man’s hand con- 
vulsively. “ ’Tain’t so ! ’tain’t so ! He cayn’t do 
it, kin he, Unc’ Luke ? ” he blubbered. But 
Luke, making no reply, disengaged his hand, and 
went slowly back to the stables with hanging 
head. 

Uninformed of this later occurrence, for he did 
92 


The Eve of Tfzt 


not look back after riding away from the house, 
Joe Ransom hastened into the city and sought 
Colonel Stone at his own home. He remembered 
what the Colonel had told him regarding the neces- 
sity for secrecy ; therefore he left his horse at a 
stable while he proceeded afoot to the Stone resi- 
dence and entered by the back way. He was for- 
tunate in catching the gentleman before his de- 
parture for the business of the day, and his report 
of what he had seen the previous evening in the 
armory was received in a manner which assured Joe 
that his suspicions had been well founded. 

“ A supply of sabres and two howitzers ? ’’ gasped 
the Colonel. “ This is too much — too much ! 
These things are hidden from the general public ; 
and they were hidden from me when I made my 
inquiries, yesterday. I will see about this at once. 
Ransom.” 

“ I don’t know that anything will really be done 
by the National Rifles against the Government,” 
said Joe, slowly, “ nor by any Southerners. None 
of the states but South Carolina have seceded.” 

“Not yet. But things continue to move there,” 
returned Stone, grimly. “Fort Johnson, in 
Charleston Harbor, was seized yesterday. . . . 

Now, sir, I am off at once to see Mr. Holt. I must 
learn by what right Captain Schaeffer has obtained 
these supplies. You might meet me in a couple of 
hours, if you like. Ransom. I may have some in- 
93 


The Eve ^ War 


structions for you. Come to the office of Major- 
General Weightman, in the War Department. 
Good-morning ! ’’ and the busy Inspector-General 
was gone. 

Joe had only ridden into town to see the Colonel 
because he felt it his duty to do so. But he was in- 
terested now, and two hours to the minute found 
him in the office of the senior Major-General of the 
district, and speaking Colonel Stone’s name, was 
allowed to wait for him. The gentleman arrived 
soon and his face wore a grim smile. “ Here you 
are, eh? Well, I’ve no instructions for you at 
present. But don’t fail to see me often. 

“ By the way,” he added, “ I’ve found out about 
that ordnance. It is as I suspected. I went to the 
Chief of Ordnance to learn how it was that this 
company of militia happened to be so unusually 
armed ; and I found that an order had been given 
by the last Secretary of War (John B. Floyd) di- 
recting the Chief of Ordnance to cause to be issued 
to Captain Schaeffer ‘all the ordnance and ordnance 
stores that he might require for his company.’ A 
pretty sweeping order that, eh ? ” 

“ Why, sir, he could supply an army on that or- 
der, could he not ? ” gasped Joe. 

“It looks so. And if he intended to — even a 
small army — he should have done it before I came 
into office. I’ve put a spoke in his wheel. Floyd 
seems to have nominated Schaeffer to the President 
94 


T^he Eve of 'Wax 

for the commission of Major in the District of 
Columbia militia, and the commission is already 
before the President for signing. But IVe seen 
Secretary Holt and got two little orders of my own 
that I reckon will cook Captain Schaeffer’s kettle 
of fish in short order — and perhaps some others ! ” 

“Yes, sir?” queried Joe, vastly interested. 

“Well, one is to the Chief of Ordnance to issue 
no arms to any militia or volunteers in the district 
unless the requisition is countersigned by myself ; 
and the other is that all commissions issued to 
officers of the district must be sent to me for de- 
livery.” 

“ But that last order won’t keep the Captain from 
being made a Major. All you can do is to deliver 
the commission when he calls for it,” said Joe, who 
grasped the details of the situation with remarkable 
quickness. 

“ Won’t it ? Well, sir, you — just — watch ! ” and 
Colonel Stone screwed up one eye and kept the 
other very wide open for a moment. But he still 
looked anything but jovial. “ We’re certainly after 
some very shrewd men, Master Joe Ransom; but 
we can be a little shrewd ourselves. You just wait 
until Captain Schaeffer comes to me for that com- 
mission. . . . Now, Joe, if you want me at any 

time, you’ll be more likely to find me in this office 
than anywhere else. Mr. Holt has kindly assigned 
me a desk here.” 


95 


The Eve ^ War 


Joe rode back home in much perturbation of 
mind. But upon his arrival there all thought of 
the difficulties which confronted Colonel Stone — and 
other loyal men of the district — was driven from 
his head. He had scarcely dropped off Sultan’s 
back in the stable-yard when he beheld Dollie ap- 
proaching across the lawn. The girl’s face was 
flushed and she bore herself with that air which al- 
ways prevailed when her dignity and indignation 
were both roused and, as Joe had often laughingly 
declared, she possessed more of these elements than 
any person of her size in the four quarters of the 
globe ! 

She looked upon him scornfully as Uncle Luke 
ran out to take Sultan away, and planting herself 
directly before her old friend, barred his way to the 
house. “ So no other horse but Sultan would do 
you ? ” she began. “ I wish to speak to you, Joseph 
Kansom. I don’t know why; but I am fair, at 
least ! I am willing to give you a chance to explain 
your conduct before I condemn you as — as other 
people do.” 

“Why am I condemned — for what?” queried 
Joe, quietly. 

“ Why ? You ask me why ? ” Her cheeks grew 
hot and her eyes flashed more angrily. “For a 
dozen things. For your treatment of grandfather; 
for your brutality to Paul Gladden and — yes — to 
little Mercury. I haven’t forgotten that, sir ! For 
96 


The Eve ^ War 


your general behavior to Uncle Philip, and, last of 
all, for your unwarrantable assumption of authority 
about the place. It doesn’t become you to carry 
matters with so high a hand, when it was you who 
probably caused poor grandfather’s illness ! ” 


97 


CHAPTER YI 


THE STORM CLOUDS GATHER 

The unexpectedness of Dollie’s accusation, to- 
gether with the unfair and biased statement itself, 
quite stunned Joe for a minute. He stared at the 
girl with wide-open, troubled eyes ; but she, lashed 
by her own hot temper and what she believed to be 
a righteous indignation, thought him only sullen. 
“ You should be ashamed, Joe Ransom ! I do not 
care what your opinions were, are, or may be, I 
shall never trust you again — never ! Your quarrel 
with grandfather was the cause of his paralytic 
stroke ; Dr. Pretty man says so.” 

“ Oh, how can you believe that, Dollie ? ” cried 
the boy at last. “ I had no quarrel with the dear 
Major. We differed ” 

“ Differed ! ” Dollie’s tone was the acme of dis- 
gust and contempt. “You know you are not tell- 
ing the truth.” Joe shrank as though he had re- 
ceived a blow. . His hands clenched involuntarily 
and his lips grew white. But he did not speak. 
“ I know at last all about that wretched afternoon,” 
continued the girl, with a sob. “ And don’t think 
that I do not blame myself for adding to grand- 
father’s burden by telling him at dinner of your 
98 


T'he Eve ^ War 


speech to me and your attack on Paul and Mer- 
cury.” 

“ On Mercury ? ” gasped Joe. 

“ Yes ! And if the child was not the best natured 
in the world he would hold it against you for 
striking him with that cane.” 

“ Does Mercury say I struck him ? ” demanded 
Joe, suddenly. 

‘‘ I saw you ! ” cried the girl, and she really be- 
lieved she did. She had seen Joe with the cane in 
his hand. Mercury on the ground crying, and Paul 
Gladden shrieking with the sting of the last few 
blows he had received. Since the Major’s illness 
Dollie had seen none of her friends — excepting 
when they called at the door to inquire for the in- 
valid — so she had not learned the truth about the 
beating Paul received. Dollie went on like a whirl- 
wind and Joe had no chance of combating this 
statement further. “ I know what you have done ! ” 
she cried. “ I know all about your quarrel with 
grandfather. Uncle Philip has told me at last, 
though much against his will. But I would know — 
especially after I saw you upon Sultan and knew 
you had tried to ride down Uncle Philip because he 
forbade you.” 

Joe shut his lips tightly to keep back a fierce de- 
nial. He saw that Chesney had gained the girl’s 
confidence to such an extent that he dared openly 
attack his good name. Dollie believed Joe not only 
L.ofC. 99 


The Eve of 'Wdit 


an ingrate, but a brutal and quarrelsome fellow. 
How could she be so deceived after having been his 
playfellow and close friend so many years ? 

“ I never would have believed this of you, Joe ! ” 
she said again. “ After all these years — after all 
grandfather has done for you ! And to have quar- 
reled with him as you did in Uncle Philip’s pres- 
ence.” Joe started, flashing her a sudden aston- 
ished glance, and his lips opened to deny that state- 
ment, at least. “ Oh, I know it all, you see ! ” the 
girl swept on. “ I had fairly to worm the story 
from him. As much as he dislikes you (and he has 
good reason for his dislike) he did not want to tell 
me how you had treated grandfather. But there is 
one thing you shall not do. You shall not be over- 
bearing to Uncle Philip any more. I have some 
right to speak in this matter, I hope ! I shall take 
the servants in hand. Luke and all of them seem 
to have lost their heads. 

“ It is a disgraceful affair — that’s what it is ! To 
think of our house being made the scene of quar- 
rels and low rowdyism, while poor grandfather lies 
so near death. If I wasn’t so indignant I would 
cry ! ” The tears stood in the girl’s eyes now ; but 
she winked them back angrily. “ You have made 
me hate you, Joe Ransom. And I used to think 
you one of the nicest boys that ever lived. I can- 
not understand how you could change so.” 

“ Don’t you see that you may be wrong, that per- 
lOO 


The Eve ^ War 


haps I have not changed at all, Dollie ? ” interposed 
the boy. “ If you believed me a half decent fel- 
low, and have known me so long as such, may it not 
be possible that you are mistaken in me now ? ” 

“ I never knew you ! ” she cried, swallowing a 
sob. “ You have deceived us all. But now your 
true character has come out. We can all see it. 
You are angry because poor Uncle Philip is come 
home and grandfather and he have become friends.” 

“ Do you believe that ? ” cried Joe. 

“ Certainly ! You know it is true. Oh, don’t 
you dare say anything more against Uncle 
Philip.” 

But the boy could hear no more just then. 
“You’ll be sorry for this, Dollie,” he said, his voice 
shaking, and pushing by her he hurried to the house 
and shut himself into his room for the rest of the 
day. Never did a boy feel more lonely, or so com- 
pletely left to his own resources. Dollie misunder- 
stood and disliked him ; Mr. Kirk held him at a 
distance and would not speak to him. Joe was be- 
ing walled up within himself by these circum- 
stances. It was humiliating to remain at Chesney 
House, and yet he did not know w^here to go. 
During the next few days he avoided the girl who 
had so cruelly hurt him, and tried to keep out of 
Philip Chesney’s way also. 

But Uncle Luke would give him no peace about 
the horses and finally brought him a written paper 
lOI 


’The Eve of Tf ax 

from Mr. Kirk “appointing Master Joseph Eansom 
to exercise the horses now in the Chesney stable, in- 
cluding Major Chesney’s riding horse, Sultan,” and 
although Joe had come very near to hating the 
lawyer ere this, he obeyed him. But he did not go 
into the library again, and Mercury was his only 
means of communication with the rest of the house- 
hold. 

Meanwhile many projects of grave interest were 
afoot and, being so shut off from home affairs, Joe 
paid the more attention to these public matters. 
Fort Pulaski, Georgia, had been seized by the State 
authorities, and Forts Morgan and Gaines in Mobile 
Bay, by Alabama. The South “meant business” 
and the people who had been loudest in crying 
“ Peace ! Peace ! ” grew faint-hearted. At length 
(on January 6th) President Buchanan yielded to 
pressure and sent the Star of the West from New 
York to relieve Anderson at Fort Sumter. Then 
Florida followed the example of her neighbors and 
seized Federal property at Apalachicola, and Fort 
Marion at St. Augustine. 

On the eighth of the month Jacob Thompson, of 
Mississippi, who was Secretary of the Interior, re- 
signed from the President’s cabinet and the next 
day it was known that his state had passed the 
ordnance of secession. Stirring incidents were tak- 
ing place in North Carolina, where Fort Johnson 
was seized by the citizens of Smithville. Every 
102 


‘The Eve of Thzx 


movement pointed to a certain and imminent revo- 
lution, and as these incidents followed each other in 
rapid succession Joe Eansom began to take as 
serious a view of the situation as did his friend and 
chief, Colonel Stone. The boy called upon the 
Inspector-General several times, for there was 
plainly treachery intended by the officers of the 
IN'ational Kifles. 

“ There are some men in the ranks who doubt the 
advisability of war,” he told Colonel Stone ; “ but 
the most open speakers are for the arming of the 
South to meet what they call ‘the Yankee in- 
vasion.’ ” 

“ Yes, yes ; if ever there was a thorn in a man’s 
side, that company of Schaeffer’s is one in mine. 
And they are so well armed and drilled, too ! I am 
doing what I can to provide a force of loyal volun- 
teers ; but the attempt is somewhat disheartening. 
I had some forty personal letters addressed to well- 
known men of the district advising them that it 
would be agreeable to the Government if they 
raised and organized companies of volunteers for 
the preservation of order, and I am glad to note 
that several have already begun the work. But 
some of my letters elicited rather strange replies 
from men writing in a supposed time of peace. I 
tell you, Kansom, we are practically in a state of 
war.” 

“ I begin to believe you are right, sir. At least, 
103 


The Eve of Tlzx 


everybody whom I meet — every avowed Southerner, 
I mean — talks war.” 

“ Well, if they give us time, and only talk instead 
of acting, we’ll have enough loyal men enrolled to 
save the capital. The Northern Liberties Fire 
Companies and the Lafayette Hose Company are 
drilling, and a good many associations of laboring 
men have applied for enrollment. But, by the way, 
isn’t the National Kifles getting overcrowded ? ” 

“ That’s what I wanted to speak to you about. I 
believe it is intended to divide the company. 
Somebody has engaged the big hall over Beach’s 
livery stable — I think it is Dr. Prettyman — and the 
more rabid Southerners from our ranks are going 
there to drill. So I heard said, at least.” 

“ Prettyman, eh ? Humph! I know him. You 
are not going with that crowd, are you, Joe ? ” 

‘‘ No, sir. I don’t want to lose my membership in 
the Kifles. But my chum, Tom Marshall, says he is 
going to join the new company.” 

This conversation, which had been carried on at 
Colonel Stone’s desk, was suddenly interrupted by 
the entrance of an officer of the War Department 
waving a telegram in his hand. This ninth of Jan- 
uary, which had already been marked by news of 
Mississippi’s withdrawal from the Union, was fated 
to bring forth another less expected and far more 
exciting piece of news. “ The Star of the West has 
been fired on ! ” cried the man with the despatch. 

104 


"The Eve of YJzx 


“ The guns of Fort Moultrie drove her off as she ap- 
proached Sumter. What will Anderson do now ? ” 

And the question seemed significant. It was 
what Anderson would do, not what the President 
would do. They all knew that Buchanan would do 
nothing ; even the fact that a supply ship, flying the 
American flag, had been fired on by South Carolina, 
did not stir the sluggish blood of the Administration. 

At once Joe’s interview with Colonel Stone was 
ended. The officers on General Weightman’s staff 
gathered about the possessor of the telegram and 
discussed the news, while the boy departed. He 
was interested in the announcement, which roused 
much discussion throughout the country at the 
time ; but happenings nearer home occupied his 
mind more. His life at Chesney House was becom- 
ing almost unbearable. The Major seemed to grow 
no worse and Dr. Pretty man looked cheerful ; but 
Joe’s knowledge of the condition of his guardian 
was not gained at first hand. The negro servants 
were his only friends. 

Two other servants had come into the house — 
“ hired help ” whom Mammy looked upon with dis- 
gust and ruled with an iron hand. Mr. Kirk found 
money for all the expenses of the household and re- 
fused to explain to Philip his reasons for doing this, 
that, or the other thing to which the Major’s son 
found objection. Gradually Dollie took up arms 
against the lawyer, too. Philip, the doctor, and 
105 


The Eve ^ War 


Dollie formed a triumvirate which in the end, Joe 
felt, would be too strong not only for him, but for 
the lawyer also, unless Mr. Kirk had a better foun- 
dation for his authority than he seemed to have. 

Cantering up the hilly street to the house on this 
afternoon, Joe turned Sultan into the lane by the 
stone stable and came within an ace of riding down 
a man who stood there, much as Philip Chesney had 
hidden in the alley upon the day this narrative 
opened. Joe pulled the horse around quickly and 
the man sprang back with an exclamation of anger 
and surprise — an exclamation which was not in 
English. And when Joe looked at him again he 
saw that the stranger was of a sinister and foreign 
cast of countenance — black eyes, black, crisp hair, 
and with the blue-black marks of close shaving upon 
his cheeks. His mustache was waxed to a point and 
he was rather a dapper looking fellow, and wore 
much cheap jewelry with clothing to match. Joe 
noted these facts almost instantly, for the fellow 
quickly got out of the way. 

Uncle Luke was not at the stable, nor was Mer- 
cury in sight ; so Joe unsaddled Sultan, wiped down 
his legs and flanks carefully, sponged his nostrils, 
and led him into his box-stall. The boy was half- 
way across the yard when the idea took possession 
of his mind that he had not slipped the bar, which 
closed the box-stall, into place. A moment’s hesita- 
tion, and he swung on his heel and went back. 
io6 


The Eve ^ War 


Whether the door of Sultan’s box was fastened or 
not, he had left the gate at the end of the lane open 
and he first stepped to that and shut it. As he did 
so he caught sight of a figure in the alley, coming 
rapidly up the hill under the eaves of the building. 
He stood in astonishment, and watched to see what 
this man would do. There was a door opening 
from the harness room upon the lane ; but it was 
usually kept locked. The stranger stopped at this 
door and rapped lightly ; and as he turned to do 
this Joe recognized the foreigner whom he had so 
nearly ridden down. 

“ How what in the name of goodness can he want 
here ? ” muttered the observer. 

The door opened and in an instant the stranger 
had slipped within and it closed after him. Some- 
body whom Joe could not see had admitted him. 
No person but Uncle Luke had any business about 
the stables, and the boy could not understand what 
the black man would have a visitor here for — and 
such a visitor ! Feeling that something was wrong, 
he softly closed the gate and as carefully opened the 
stable door and went in. The door between the 
horse-barn and the harness-room was shut ; but he 
heard the murmur of voices, though not a word of 
what was being said. Nor did he recognize the 
tones of the person with whom the stranger was 
conversing. If he remained where he was, the door 
might be opened at any moment and his eavesdrop- 
107 


The Eve ^ War 


ping discovered ; nor did he think it wise to raise 
the latch and enter upon the conference unbidden. 

There was another door — rather, a trap — leading 
out of the horse-barn upon a narrow passage and 
steep flight of stairs to the cellar. One side of this 
passage was a wall of the harness-room and Joe re- 
membered that this partition was built simply of 
planks. He hastened to this low door and opened 
it, creeping through and shutting the trap behind 
him. He found himself in darkness, but reached 
the stairs and seated himself upon the top step, 
placing his ear to a knot-hole in the partition. The 
voices were now quite distinct, and as the harnesses 
hung along this wall, the knot-hole would not be 
noticed by the men in conference. 

He soon knew that there were but two of these, 
the man who had entered and Philip Chesney \ 
The discovery that the Major’s son was meeting a 
stranger clandestinely in the stable filled Joe’s mind 
^at once with ugly suspicions ; and he listened sharply 
to every word uttered behind that thin wall. 
Philip’s first remark was, ‘‘You need not be afraid 
of confiding in me, Mr. Fernandina.” 

“ Captain Fernandina, sare ! ” interrupted the 
harsh voice of the visitor. “ I haf been so honored 
by my company.” 

“ Oh ! I had not heard,” returned Philip, drily. 
“ The last I knew you were running a barber shop 
in Baltimore.” 


io8 


T’he Eve ^ War 


“ Sare ! a man may be a patriot and a barber at 
ze one time,” cried the other, in some heat. 

“ Quite true. But I wonder at their sending you, 
that is all. Still, as politics make strange bedfel- 
lows, I presume that conspiracies do likewise.” 

“ I do not understand you, sare ! ” exclaimed 
Fernandina. “I haf come ze long way from Balti- 
more, and am sent to you. Signor Chasnay ” 

“ Chesne}^, if you please.” 

“ Par-don ! Chesney. I come to you from men 
as earnest — as br-r-ave — as you yourself may be, 
sare ! I haf been told how active you haf been in 
this matter — zat you an’ your friends propose to 
burn ze railroad bridges and ze ferry-boats at Havre 
de Grace.” 

“ Sh ! ” exclaimed Philip, nervously. 

“Yat! Can we be heard ? ” 

“ I believe not,” admitted Philip. 

“ Zen listen, sare. This burning and destroying 
may keep the Yankee army from invading Mary- 
land, and that ees good. But is it enough ? ” 

“ If things move faster south of us,” began Philip, 
“ Yes, but will they ? Great bodies move slowly, 
eh? How see you, sare. Burned bridges and 
boats, and wrecked railroads, may do their part. 
But that is not all — not all, nor half enough. The 
South must hold Washington.” 

“Humph! Better let us here in the district at- 
tend to that, hadn’t you ? ” 

109 


T'he Eve ^ War 


“But what will happen if this new President 
gets here — and with all his friends? Thousands 
are coming, they say — an army ! ” 

“ Not an armed mob ? You don’t mean that ? ” 
cried Philip. 

“ Eet may be so ; we cannot know. But, how- 
ever, we propose in Baltimore that he shall never 
reach this city. He shall never be inaugurated.” 

“ I am with you there, soul and body ! ” ex- 
claimed Philip. “No Yankee shall ever sit in the 
presidential chair. We’ll show ’em that we mean 
business.” 

“Then listen to me, sare!” cried Fernandina. 
“We are patriots in Baltimore, as you may well 
know. Lincoln shall never be President of the 
United States. My life is of no consequence; I 
will gif eet for his ! I am ready to die for the 
rights of the South. The first shot fired and the 
head traitor, Lincoln, dead, all Maryland will be 
with us and the South will be free. If I alone 
must do the deed, I swear that Abraham Lincoln 
shall die in Baltimore ! ” ^ 

“ For your own sake, man, speak lower ! ” urged 
Chesney. 

“ Do you fear ” 

“It will do neither you, nor I, nor the cause, 
good to be overheard. Don’t be reckless. I was 

^ Exact words of Fernandina to Allan Pinkerton, and often re- 
peated by the man in his wildly anarchistic speeches. 

I lO 


The Eve War 


told that you had become a zealot, but I did not 
suppose they would send an utterly reckless man 
here to confer with me.’’ 

“You are insulting, sare!” exclaimed Fernan- 
dina. 

“ Nonsense ! But there is no use in inviting 
failure by yelling out our sentiments to the com- 
munity at large.” 

“ Ah, sare, I feel this deeply. These Yankees ” 

“ Shall never cross the Susquehanna ! ” interposed 
Philip, with emphasis. “We are all agreed on that. 
But some believe in different methods than these 
you advance.” 

“ Action, sare, action ! Let us str-r-ike ! Zat is 
what is needed. And in Baltimore we purpose to 
strike. The leading Abolitionist must be killed. 
The North will be thrown into confusion by this, 
and we can then fortify our South against all ene- 
mies. And I repeat again, sare, that Abraham 
Lincoln shall not pass through Baltimore alive.” 

“ How do you know he will try to ? ” 

“ It ees so expected. He ees unknown in the east. 
Ha! these Yankees do not even know what man 
they haf, by a trick, set over us. They desire to 
see him. He will go to New York. We haf 
many friends there who would be glad to see him 
out of the way. But Baltimore is the favored 
place for the blow. It must be put off as long as 
possible ; you can see the reason for that ? ” 

III 


The Eve ^ War 


“Of course. And when is this meeting to be 
held?” 

“That I cannot inform you. You will come 
when you receive the word ? ” 

“You can depend on me, Fernandina. I shall 
come myself or send an acceptable substitute. My 
duties are manifold at present, you know. And 
assure our friends that there is no man in Washing- 
ton — no man in the whole South, indeed — who is 
more heartily for the cause than Philip Chesney ! 
Now I cannot see you longer. That young man 
who came near running you down might see us to- 
gether, and he — well, I do not trust him.” 

“ Ha ! ” exclaimed the visitor. “We shall know 
what to do with those we cannot trust, in time.” 

“ Oh, I know what to do with him now,” grunted 
Philip. Joe heard the outer door of the harness 
room unlocked ; but he did not move, still sitting 
upon the top stair of the cellar flight until long 
after he knew both the conspirators had left the 
stable. It was, indeed, almost dark when he 
crawled out and, after surveying the surroundings 
carefully, whipped through the stable door and into 
the alley ; by which means he reached the street 
and approached the front gate as though he had 
been somewhere on foot after leaving his horse at 
the barn earlier in the day. 

He did not get in, however, without being chal- 
lenged. Philip Chesney, his face black enough, was 

II2 


1 


The Eve ^ War 


pacing the porch and evidently on the lookout for 
him. It at once flashed across Joe’s mind that he 
had been searched for by the Major’s son and that 
the latter might suspect him of having done the 
very thing he had been doing — eavesdropping. 
“ He knows I didn’t go into the house after return- 
ing from town,” thought Joe, as he slowly ap- 
proached, and he racked his brain for a plausible 
way of turning the suspicion of his enemy. 


113 


CHAPTEK VII 


LAWYER KIRK SHOWS HIS HAND 

Joe was in a panic for a moment ; but he ad- 
vanced upon the porch, and the angry man who 
stood there, steadily. It would not do to show ap- 
prehension. Then Chesney would know at once 
that he was guilty. And if the man was assured 
that Joe had overheard the conversation between 
the stranger and himself, what would happen ? 

He had been fortunate in overhearing a conver- 
sation compared with which his former reports to 
Colonel Stone were of mild significance. At last 
there was something really tangible for suspicion to 
rest upon. There was a well-defined plot to cut 
Maryland off from communication with the North, 
and according to the observations of Fernandina, 
there were men who had sworn to assassinate 
Abraham Lincoln ere he stepped foot in Washington. 
Colonel Stone must know of these discoveries at 
the first opportunity, and Joe did not propose to get 
into any trouble with Philip Chesney which would 
make it impossible for him to see the chief of Gen- 
eral Weightman’s staff that night. 

114 


T’he Eve ^ War 


Without betraying any of these disturbing 
thoughts, he was about to pass Chesney silently, 
when the man suddenly seized him by the shoulder 
and swung Joe around so that he faced him. And 
at the fiery glance of his eye, Joe’s heart beat 
fiercely. He remembered the pistol Philip once 
drew upon him ; the boy was not sustained on this 
occasion by the rage which had then possessed him. 
Life was sweet, and he did not know what desperate 
deed Chesney might attempt if he knew his plotting 
had been overheard. “ What do you want ? ” de- 
manded Joe, trying to speak calmly. “ Take your 
hand off my shoulder I If you’ve anything to say 
to me, say it ; but don’t you touch me.” 

Strangely enough Philip obeyed. “You crow 
loud, my bantam ! ” he exclaimed. “ But it won’t 
be for long. I’m master here, and I’ve allowed you 
to go too far. You’ve been riding that horse 
again.” 

Joe was so relieved to discover that the attack 
did not turn upon what had occurred in the stable, 
that he almost smiled. “ I have been riding Sultan 
— yes,” he admitted. “ What of it ? ” 

“ There’s this of it,” and Philip threw restraint 
and grammar both to the winds, while his voice 
and anger rose. “ You’re not going to ride that 
horse again. You’re to ride none of the horses, nor 
will you join with the niggers here in refusing to 
obey me and insulting my niece.” 

115 


T'he Eve ^ War 


‘‘Who has insulted Dollie ? ” demanded Joe, 
quickly. 

“ Your presence here is an insult to her,” snarled 
Philip. “ And she informs me that Luke has re- 
fused to lock the stable and bring the key to her. 
She is mistress here ; at least you will admit that ? ” 

“ I receive my orders from Mr. Kirk,” Joe inter- 
posed, quietly. 

Philip’s temper led him to exclaim very impolitely 
against the lawyer. “I’ll show him, too, that he 
cannot browbeat me ! ” he cried. “ As for you, Joe 
Kansom, I’ve seen quite enough of you. My father 
may be ill for months. You have no business here, 
and I have made up my mind that you shall go ! ” 

“ Suppose I refuse ? ” 

“ You dare to ! Why, you young scoundrel. I’ll 
kick you out ! ” and the man advanced upon him 
with threatening face and clenched hands. 

“ I wouldn’t try it, Mr. Philip Chesney ! ” ex- 
claimed Joe. “ If you ever strike me, make up 
your mind right now, sir, that I shall strike back ! 
I owe nothing to you — not even respect. I believe 
you have come here only to work some villainous 
purpose of your own. And when you try to drive 
me out of this house, I want to tell you that you 
can’t do it ! I won’t go. You can’t make me. 
There is only one person who has any right now to 
force me out of Major Chesney’s home. The 
Major himself is too ill to know what is going on ; 

ii6 


The Eve ^ War 


but despite your falsehoods and your plotting, I do 
not believe that Dollie would see me driven away.” 

"‘You don’t believe she would, hey?” cried 
Philip, with a sardonic smile. “ That is her voice 
now. We’ll see about this, young man ! ” 

Dollie was coming through the hall talking with 
Mammy Laura upon some household topic. For 
two years the young girl had worn the bunch of 
keys at her belt belonging to linen chests and pan- 
tries, the badge of her office as housekeeper ; and to 
nobody else would Mammy Laura have bowed. 
Mammy, as well as Luke and Mercury, had been so 
kindly treated by Major Chesney, that she never 
felt her bondage, and she would have violently 
assailed any person except Miss Dollie who entered 
her kitchen without her permission. 

“ Dollie, I want you to come here, please,” said 
Philip, his tone suddenly becoming very pacific. 
The girl appeared instantly at the door, with 
mammy’s black face in the background. “I am 
very sorry to trouble you, my dear child,” said her 
uncle, “ but you remember our conversation this 
morning ? ” 

The girl had glanced at Joe and her face flushed. 
Her eyes dropped at once. “ Yes, Uncle Philip, I 
remember.” 

“ Then I have no need to remind you of the con- 
clusion to which we both came ? ” he said, carefully 
eliminating from his voice the wrathful tone in 
117 


The Eve of yVzx 


which he had addressed Joe but the moment 
previous. “ I have spoken to this foolish fellow. I 
have told him plainly that if he remains here he 
must obey me as head of the family. But he 
rebels.” 

“ Oh, Joe ! ” exclaimed the girl, turning as though 
she would speak imploringly. Then she shut her 
lips again and looked back at her uncle. “ Well ? ” 
she asked. 

“So,” Philip Chesney pursued, “I have been 
obliged to ask him to leave the house.” 

“ Fo’ de goodness sake 1 ” exclaimed Mammy 
Laura. “Arsk Mars’ Joe to leab? Wal, ah neb- 
ber did hear de beat ob dat ! ” 

“ Be still ! ” commanded Philip, for an instant for- 
getting the part he was playing and speaking in his 
usual brutal tone. 

“Oh, Uncle Philip! Mammy means no harm. 
She does not understand,” said Dollie, mildly. “ I 
— I hope it won’t be necessary for Joe to go.” 

“ Can you stand here and take the part of that 
man against me, Dollie ? ” cried the boy, in sorrow 
as well as anger. “Would you see me leave my 
home because he says so ? ” 

Thus challenged, Dollie’s own temper rose. 
“You are a very bad boy, Joe. I know what 
Uncle Philip demands, and he is perfectly right. I 
do not wish to see you — see you go away ; but you 
must behave yourself if you remain here. You 

ii8 


’The Eve of War 


have encouraged both Luke and Mercury to disobey 
uncle and me.*’ 

“ Umpah ! Ah reckons dey don* need no *ncour- 
agin*, honey,** interrupted mammy’s voice from be- 
hind. 

“ Be still, mammy ! ” commanded the girl. Then 
to Joe : “ You see how I feel, sir. You must cease 
acting as though you, instead of Uncle Philip, were 
master of the house. Biding Sultan whenever you 
please is only one thing. You refuse to eat at the 
table with us, and make mammy extra trouble.” 

“ Don* let dat bover you, honey,” interrupted 
mammy again. 

“ Send that nigger back to her work ! ** exclaimed 
Philip Chesney, angrily. 

“ Please keep still. Mammy Laura,” said Dollie, 
yet flushing at the way in which her uncle spoke. 
Mammy looked at her old master’s son in anything 
but an obedient manner ; she fell silent, however. 
“ Now, Joe, will you obey Uncle Philip ? ” 

“ Dollie, how can you treat me so ? ” cried the 
boy. “Certainly I shall not. I am sure Major 
Chesney does not want him here. I know he has 
come for no good purpose.” 

“That is enough, Joe Kansom !” exclaimed the 
girl. “If you will not, then, as far as I am con- 
cerned, you can go. I do not want to see you 
again,” and her pretty face hardened against her 
old playfellow. 

119 


"The Eve ^ War 


“ Missy ! missy ! wot dat yo’ sayin’ ? ” whispered 
mammy, loudly. But Dollie refused to be pacified 
and continued to stare Joe out of countenance in a 
most haughty manner. Joe’s own smouldering 
wrath broke out now. “ Do you mean that, Dollie ? 
You will really send me away ? ” 

“ I do not send you away,” she said, with trem- 
bling lips, yet with the same forbidding expression. 
“ You do it yourself. You are stirring up the 
servants to disobedience and refuse to behave your- 
self. It will be your own act if you go.” 

“ And go I shall, Dollie ! ” he cried, at last. “ This 
man — whom I tell you has injured your grandfather 
much in the past, though he is his son — you have 
known but a few days; you have known me all 
your life.” 

“ He at least is not a traitor to his country ! ” she 
interrupted, sharply. 

‘‘Wot yo’ sayin’, missy? ’’cried Mammy Laura 
again. “ Mars’ Joe done j’ined de milicha. Merc’ry 
telled me so.” 

“ Be still, will you ? ” cried Philip, laying a heavy 
hand on the black woman’s shoulder. 

Mammy wrenched away from his grasp and, 
resting her hands upon her hips, eyed him with 
dignified disapproval. “ Mars’ Philip Chesney ! 
Ah know yo’ come ter no good eend, eben w’en yo’ 
was lil’ feller. Yo’ was a baid boy, an’ yo’ is a 
baid man I Don’ tell me, honey ! ” she pursued, 
120 


The Eve ^ War 


when Dollie would have stopped her. “ Ah 
knows wot I’se talkin’ erbout. An’ w’en yo’ 
takes de part ob dat man ag’in Mars’ Joe, yo’ don’ 
desarbe my respec’ — an’ yo’ hasn’t got it no mo’ ! 
Ter see ye show so lil’ sense, it suttin’ly does flab- 
bergast me ! ” 

“ Well, young man, what do you propose doing?” 
demanded Chesney, seeing that it was useless to try 
to close mammj^’s mouth. 

“ I am going. I cannot stay if Dollie feels this 
way.” 

“ Don’ you do dat. Mars’ Joe ! ” shrieked mammy, 
from the hall. But Joe mounted the steps, and 
entered the house without a word. When she saw 
him going to his room, the black woman hurried to 
the kitchen, and the next minute Mercury ran out 
the side door and disappeared up the street. 
Chesney looked after the flying boy with lowering 
brow. “ That young ape ! ” he exclaimed. “ He’s 
been sent for Kirk. How, Dollie, you must back 
me up unless you wish to see your uncle turned out 
of his rightful home. For Kirk will be against Joe 
leaving here, that I know.” 

“ They sha’n’t turn you out, uncle, dear ! ” cried 
the girl, taking his arm. “ Why, it is preposterous ! 
But please, please. Uncle Philip, don’t speak so 
harshly to the servants. They’re not used to it.” 

“Humph!” muttered Chesney. He made no 
further comment, and they went into the house to- 

I2I 


T"he Eve of YfsiX 


gether. In his room up-stairs Joe Ransom was 
packing his portmanteau, his eyes hot with unshed 
tears. “ IVe been misused by them all long 
enough,” Joe thought, as he locked his bag and 
picked up his cap and overcoat. “ I’ll get out of 
this house, and unless the poor Major recovers. I’ll 
never set foot in it again ! ” 

He knew very well what would be said if he left 
Major Chesney’s house. Southerners would look 
upon him suspiciously — especially with Philip and 
Dr. Prettyman to blow the smouldering fire of 
doubt against him. And as he thought of Dr. Pret- 
tyman he heard the physician’s voice below. The 
doctor had just driven up for his evening visit to 
the sick man, and as he entered the wide hall Joe 
heard likewise a deeper voice. It was Mr. Kirk’s. 
Doctor and lawyer had arrived together, as they 
had on New Year’s morning, when Joe’s real 
troubles began. 

“ I’ll go down and get away from them all ! ” Joe 
muttered, and began to descend the stairway. He 
heard the steady murmur of voices in the library, 
and just as he reached the foot of the stairs the door 
opened and Mr. Kirk, the doctor, Philip and Dollie 
came out. The last three showed — each in his or her 
own way — great disturbance of mind. The little 
doctor was red and bristled like an aroused bantam- 
cock ; Philip’s face was black with rage ; Dollie 
was tearful. The attorney was apparently unruffled. 

122 


The Eve War 


“ Such a scene I never expected would take place 
in that room, Mr. Kirk ! ” the girl was saying. 
“ And grandfather so ill.” 

“ Miss Dollie,” returned the lanky lawyer, quietly, 
“ 1 am as sorry for this misunderstanding as 3’'ou 
can be. But as Mr. Philip Chesney would not come 
out to me, I had to go in to him. And,” he 
turned suddenly and fixed Philip with his cold 
glance, ‘‘ if he does not keep away from his father’s 
private papers while they are under my care, he 
will get nearer to jail than he did ten years 
ago ! ” 

“ How dare you, sir ! ” gasped the doctor. Dollie 
turned white and looked from one gentleman to the 
other in horror. “ What — what do you mean ? ” 
she whispered. “ It was a mistake — all a mistake ! ” 
declared Dr. Prettyman, with vigor. “ That was a 
most cruel stab, Kirk.” 

Indeed, Philip could not speak ; but it was rather 
his rage than his injured feelings that silenced him. 
‘‘ I have warned him,” said the lawyer, seriously. 
“And now — what’s this, Joe?” He turned and 
suddenly saw the boy making for the hall door with 
his bag. “ Where are you going, young man ? ” 

“ Away,” replied Joe, briefly. 

“ And will you pray tell me what for ? ” Kirk’s 
voice was suave — almost honeyed. 

“ He is going because he cannot behave here and 
has been requested to go ! ” snapped Philip, recov- 

123 


The Eve of Wslt 


ering his voice and getting back, as he thought, at 
his enemy. 

“ By you, sir ? ’’ 

“He has not been ordered to go, Mr. Kirk,” 
Dollie hastened to say. “ He has chosen to himself. 
I am sorry that he will do it, but he refuses to act 
sensibly here. The servants are all stirred up by 
his behavior — the whole house is turned topsy- 
turvy. He has merely been asked to show respect 
where he should, and refuses.” 

“ He — er — has refused to obey Philip Chesney, I 
presume you mean. Miss Dollie ? ” queried the law- 
yer, with his usual hesitation. The girl fell silent. 
Kirk glanced around the group and finally pointed 
a long finger at Joe’s bag. “Take that back to 
your room, young man,” he commanded. 

“ What do you mean, sir ? ” gasped Joe. “ I am 
going ” 

“ You will remain here, sir.” 

“ And why, Mr. Kirk ? ” 

“ First, because I tell you to. Secondly, because 
this is your home and you have no other to go to. 
Thirdly, for the very reason why they wish you to 
leave ! ” 

“ And that is, sir ? ” cried Philip, before Joe could 
make any comment. 

“For the reason that my young friend. Ransom, 
will not obey you. Master Philip,” said Kirk, coolly. 

“ This is preposterous, Kirk, preposterous ! ” ex- 
124 


The Eve War 


claimed the doctor. “ You are beside yourself. In 
his own house, too ! 

“ In his father’s house, you mean, doctor. And I 
venture to say that it will never be his, either.” 

“ Oh, how can you ? ” gasped Dollie. 

But Kirk turned again to Joe. “ Did you hear 
me, young man ? ” he demanded. 

“ Why should I obey you ? ” queried the boy. 

“ I have answered that question already, and — er 
— in three sections,” and this queer man even smiled, 
though rather grimly. “But I will give you a 
fourth reason for obeying. You will stay here be- 
cause you have more right in this house than any 
living soul excepting Major Chesney himself, and he 
is unable to take command.” 

“ What, sir ! ” gasped the doctor. 

“ You are insane ! ” exclaimed Philip. 

“ Mr. Kirk, you are beside yourself,” said Dollie, 
haughtily. “ I have been my grandfather’s house- 
keeper for two years, and here is his own son ” 

Kirk put his hand upon Joe’s shoulder and turned 
him unwillingly toward the stairs. “ Mr. Philip 
Chesney separated himself from his family ten years 
ago by his own act. He signed a paper to that ef- 
fect, and received a certain sum of money in ex- 
change for it. I drew up the paper in accordance 
with the Major’s request and — er — I have that paper 
now ! ” 

The statement was a facer, but the doctor stood 
125 


T'he Eve War 


staunchly by his friend. “ That is all past, Kirk — 
all past, I tell you ! The Major has been reconciled 
to his son.” 

“ Perhaps. But I do not know that. And I am 
the Major’s man of business.” 

“But you have said that Joe Kansom had the 
best right here ? ” cried Dollie, her cheeks red, her 
eyes sparkling. 

“ And quite right, my child. I did say so and it 
is true. He is the Major’s legally adopted son, and 
at this time master of the place in point of fact, al- 
though I have not before seen fit to tell him so. 
As for my own acts,” declared the attorney, draw- 
ing himself up with dignity, “ I can answer for them 
at any time. I hold a power of attorney from 
Major Chesney which remains good until he sees fit 
to cancel it, or — until he dies.” 

The triumvirate were speechless. Kirk again 
looked at Joe. “Are you going to obey me now, 
sir ? ” he asked, quite as sternly as though he con- 
sidered the youth alone at fault for this serious mis- 
understanding. “I stand in the place of your 
father and guardian, Major Chesney. Go to your 
room ! ” 

And Joe, slowly, and without looking back, 
mounted the stairs again and carried the portman- 
teau to his chamber. 


126 


CHAPTER YIII 

“ we’ll keep our eyes on BALTIMORE ” 

After Joe Ransom had done this he sat down 
upon the edge of his bed in the dark, with his coat 
and cap still on, and wondered why he had obeyed ? 
The reasons Mr. Kirk gave for his remaining in the 
house were not, to his mind, conclusive. How 
could he remain here when Philip Chesney and — 
yes, — Dollie, too, wished him to leave? But he 
found that even the thought of his wrongs, or the 
remembrance of Philip’s hatred and Dollie’s mis- 
trust, did not quench that warmth in his heart, nor 
depress his suddenly lightened spirits. The lawyer 
had declared him to be Major Chesney ’s adopted 
son ; he was legally the recipient of the old gentle- 
man’s love and care. His right in the house neither 
Dollie nor Philip could dispute. 

He was the old man’s son. The misunderstand- 
ing between them would yet be explained, and for 
the first time he doubted if that angry glance he 
had intercepted from the Major’s eyes, when he 
entered the library under the lawyer’s command, 
was really meant for him. Joe rose at last and lit 
his candle ; as he did so there came a rap upon the 
door and Mercury’s woolly head was thrust in. 

127 


The Eve ^ War 


The darky’s face was broadly agrin. “Mammy 
done tol’ me to call ye to dinner, sah. She done 
put yo’ plate at de haid ob de table, like whar’ ol’ 
mars’ uster sot. Dey’s goin’ ter be ructions now, 
fo’ shore ! ” 

“ There’ll be nothing of the kind ! ” exclaimed 
Joe, sharply. “You go back and tell mammy to 
send my dinner up here, the same as usual. I shall 
eat in my room for the present.” 

“ Ain’ yo’ goin’ down ter boss t’ings ? I wanter 
see yo’ boss Mars’ Philip Chesney, an’ dat docker 
man,” and Mercury began to whine like the spoiled 
child he was. 

“ You come in here where I can get a grip on you, 
young man, and I’ll boss you in a way you won’t 
fancy. You little imp ! Get along with you ! Do 
you want me to annoy Miss Dollie and make more of 
a row than has been raised already ? ” 

“ Wal, Mars’ Kirk done gone home an’ he said yo’ 
was ter be ’beyed.” 

“ Then you get along and obey me ! ” cried Joe, 
starting for him, and at that Mercury disappeared. 
While Joe ate the dinner which the black boy later 
brought up to him, he had very little to say and 
scarcely heard the running fire of comment which 
Mercury kept up in his usual style. J oe knew that 
the doctor had remained to dinner and that his 
three enemies (and how sorry he was to think of 
Dollie as one !) were holding a council of war. 

128 


The Eve of 'Wax 


They would probably watch him now, too, and after 
this bold break with them, Joe knew that he must 
be very circumspect in his actions. 

What he feared most was that they would dis- 
cover that his joining the National Kifles was for 
the purpose of helping Colonel Stone save that or- 
ganization of well-drilled men for the Federal Gov- 
ernment. They must not learn of his familiarity 
with that officer yet, for already “ Old Stone ’’ was 
heartily despised by the Southerners in Washington. 
And on this particular evening Joe wished to be 
free to visit the Inspector-General. The conference 
between Philip Chesney and the Baltimorean, 
Fernandina, should be made known to him at once ; 
Joe was sure of that. Its importance could not be 
overestimated. “ Mercury, I may go to bed before 
long,” he said to the black boy when the dishes 
were removed. “ See that nobody bothers me. I 
—I want to get up early in the morning.” 

“Is yo’ gwine fishin’, Mars’ Joe? For ef yo’ is. 
Ah wanter go, too. We ain’t done been fishin’ dis 
long w’ile.” 

“ No, no ! ” replied Joe, with a sigh. “ No more 
fishing trips for us now, Merc. I wish fishing was 
all we had to trouble us.” 

“ Golly ! So does I,” admitted the boy, with 
feeling. “ Dish yere house is jes’ full ob cantankera- 
tions since de Majah done got sick.” 

“Well, well,” Joe said, dismissing him, “you’ve 
129 


The Eve War 


coined a brand new word ; but I reckon it fits the 
situation,” and after listening to the departing foot- 
steps of the black boy and the steady murmur of 
voices from the dining-room, Joe shut his door 
again and slipped the bolt. By and by he blew out 
the light and then, removing his shoes, went softly 
and raised a window. The casement looked out 
upon the roof of a wing of the house that was used 
below for a storeroom. He stepped out, left the 
window so that he could open it easily, and crept 
to the edge of the roof. He dropped his shoes to 
the ground and feeling sure that, in the starless 
night, nobody could see him from below, began the 
descent of the rain spout. This was no easy task ; 
but neither was it Joe’s first experience in reaching 
the ground by this means. He had done it, in fun 
or daring, several times before. 

Beaching the ground in safety Joe found his 
shoes, drew them on, and hastened across the lawn. 
Uncle Luke slept in the stable and Joe was quite 
sure of finding him there. At present mammy 
would be with the invalid and his nurse ; and after 
eating his supper Luke would have retired for sev- 
eral hours’ sleep, for his own night-watch in the 
sick-room began at midnight. The door was locked, 
and Joe did not dare beat loudly upon it for fear of 
rousing those in the house ; so he threw handfuls of 
gravel against the little window above, near which 
Luke’s cot was placed. It was some time, however, 
130 


T'he Eve ^ War 


before he received any reply. Then a pane of the 
window swung back and the voice of the black 
man — who was evidently rather startled by the 
circumstance — quaveringly demanded : “ Who dar 
at my do’ ? Whatcher want dish yere time o’ 
night ? ” 

“ Come down, Luke. I want you,” shrilled Joe, 
in a whisper. 

“ Oh, sarten — sarten ! ” cried the slave. “ Ah’m 
cornin’, sah. Didn’t s’pose it was you, sah ! ” Joe 
heard him scurrying into his clothing. Then a 
light flashed and he came down the steep flight be- 
hind the horse stalls, carrying a lantern. When he 
unbarred and opened the door he asked, quickly : 
“ What de matter, sah ? Is de ol’ Majah wuss ? ” 

“ No, Luke. It’s nothing to do with him. But I 
want a horse.” 

“Yo’ ain’ gwine erway, sah?” cried the black 
man, in anxiety. “ Mammy Laura said yo’d got yo’ 
place at las’ — dat Mars’ Kirk done tol’ yo’ ” 

“ It isn’t that ; I’m going to stay. I’ve told him 
I would and I will, little as I fancy it. But I must 
go down town at once. Saddle a horse, and let no 
one know I’ve gone — least of all Philip Chesney.” 

“ Ah understands, sah,” returned Luke. “ Come 
in so dat no one won’t see ma light from de house. 
I’ll git Sultan, sah.” 

“ Better give me Jackie. He isn’t so wild.” 

“ Sho, sah ! Yo’ ain’t feared ob Sultan. An’ he 

131 


i 


The Eve of Yh ax 


de shores’ footed in de dark. He’ll car’ you faster, 
too. I’ll saddle him in a minute, sah, an’ yo’ kin 
git him out ob de little do’ into de lane — t’rough de 
harness-room, yer know.” 

In ten minutes, with the black’s assistance, Joe 
was in the saddle and Sultan picked his way care- 
fully down the steep lane to the street. As he rode 
into the highway the boy was startled by the sound 
of wheels, and saw a carriage coming out of the 
Chesney grounds. The doctor was leaving, and Joe 
touched Sultan’s flank and the fine old fellow 
plunged down the hill on a gallop. “ I hope Dr. 
Prettyman did not see me come out of the lane. If 
he did, he’ll tell Philip,” thought young Kansom. 
“ And just now I don’t want to do anything to in- 
crease their suspicions of me.” 

He urged Sultan on and on, riding the steep hills 
sharply, and finallj^ rattling through the quiet street 
upon which Colonel Stone lived. He was not much 
afraid of being observed now, and hitching Sultan 
to a post, went to the door and rapped out a sum- 
mons upon the knocker. Fortunately Colonel Stone 
was not abed and Joe was soon closeted with him. 

“ Now, my boy, what is it ? ” demanded the In- 
spector-General. “ You haven’t ridden ’way over 
here for nothing so late in the evening.” 

“Listen, sir,” began Joe, and as briefly as possi- 
ble he related what he had overheard said by Philip 
Chesney and the man from Baltimore. “ They 
132 


The Eve of War 

both spoke so bitterly against Mr. Lincoln — seemed 
to hate him so — that I wondered why,’’ were the 
words with which J oe concluded. 

“ Perhaps I can explain,” the Colonel said, with- 
out at that moment commenting upon Joe’s excit- 
ing intelligence. “ I have been talking with a good 
many men lately who know Abe Lincoln. They 
declare he is a great man and will go far ; but if he 
is brilliant, he must certainly be a sweetmeat en- 
closed in a very ugly shell. Some of our Southern 
friends loathe him as much for his homely ways 
and speech, and lack of blue-blood, so-called, as for 
his known dislike to slavery. I should judge that 
Philip Chesney would be one of this class. The 
other people who dislike him are hot political 
partisans — friends of either Douglas, Breckenridge, 
or Bell, the defeated candidates for the presidency. 
And then — well, men’s minds are heated now and 
there are many foreigners in the country, such as 
this man Fernandina.” 

But what of this plot ? What do you think of 
it ? ” demanded the boy. 

“ I think it is most remarkable — almost beyond be- 
lief,” observed Colonel Stone, sitting with his head 
bowed on his hand reflectively. 

“ Why, sir, do you believe there is nothing in it ? ” 

“ No, no, my boy ! I have reason to believe that 
there is much in it. I have heard more about this 
conspiracy to seize Maryland and assassinate the 

133 


The Eve of Wdii: 


President-elect than you have brought me. It is 
no new thing. Baltimore seems to be the head- 
quarters of the conspirators. And this man Fer- 
nandina — he’s a barber, you say ? — must be watched. 
I knew, or had reason to believe, there was an as- 
sociation of men in Baltimore who meant mischief. 
Now I am assured. Superintendent John A. Ken- 
nedy, of the New York police force, informed me 
that he had heard something of the kind. He will 
send detectives to Baltimore for me. Meanwhile 
we in Washington must watch, and — we’ll keep our 
eyes on Baltimore ! You, Joe, are situated so that 
you can observe a man quite likely to take a lead- 
ing part in the plot.” 

“ Philip Chesney, you mean ? ” queried Joe, with 
some hesitation. 

‘‘ Yes. If he prepares to go away, let me know. 
Observe closely what he does and who comes to 
see him.” 

“But he is the son of my guardian, sir, of the 
man who has been like a father to me since I have 
been old enough to know what a father’s love and 
care mean.” 

“ Young Chesney is a villain and a traitor,” de- 
clared Colonel Stone, grimly. “ Look upon him as 
such. Allow no sentimental doubts to stand in 
yoUr way, for it may be that you will be able to 
furnish just the information needed to bring this 
wicked plot to ruin. You will obey me ? ” 

134 


T^he Eve ^ War 


“ Humph ! I seem to be obeying folks against my 
will just now,” returned Joe, grumblingly. “ Be- 
tween you and Mr. Kirk I shall do more things that 
are distasteful to me than I ever did before in all 
my life.” 

“ Which Kirk ? ” asked Stone, quickly. 

“ Major Chesney’s lawyer.” 

“Humph! Well, you’ll go far and find many 
worse men to obey,” returned the Colonel, pointedly ; 
but Joe did not give his attention to that remark 
until some time afterward. He hurried back to 
Georgetown, put up the horse himself as, by that 
time. Uncle Luke had been called into the house to 
keep his watch, and then “ shinned ” up the water- 
spout and so to bed over the roof of the ell. He 
hoped his absence had been noted by nobody but 
Luke. Had Dr. Prettyman observed his departure 
from the stable, and should he take it upon himself 
to tell Chesney, Joe feared that that enemy might 
suspect something of the truth. However, he saw 
little of Chesney during the next few days. 

Mercury kept him well informed of all that went 
on. Dollie avoided him, but he received no further 
exhibition of her spitefulness, or of Philip’s down- 
right hatred. Matters went much more smoothly 
in the National Rifles when Dr. Prettyman had be- 
taken himself to Beach’s hall to drill his “fire- 
eaters.” Tom went with them, for he was eager 
to march to the frontier and fight the Yankees if 

135 


The Eve of Wzr 


they tried to coerce Maryland. He, too, was one 
of those who declared that Lincoln should never sit 
in the Presidential chair; but he said it, Joe knew, 
without fully understanding what the statement 
implied. It was mere bombast on young Marshall’s 
part; it possessed a deadly, murderous meaning 
when uttered by such a man as Philip Chesney. 

Florida and Alabama had both seceded, other 
forts in North Carolina were seized, and Fort 
Pickens at Pensacola was occupying almost as 
much attention in the Northern newspapers as 
Fort Sumter. Louisiana had seized the arsenal at 
Baton Kouge, and Forts Jackson and St. Philip ; 
while Major Anderson had refused to surrender 
Sumter when it was demanded by Governor 
Pickens. It was seen that Anderson was a man of 
pluck and endurance, whether he was backed by 
the government or not. And then, on the twelfth. 
Lieutenant Slemmer at Fort Pickens proved to be 
quite as unyielding as Anderson. He refused to 
surrender to the combined authority of Florida 
and Alabama. 

Incidents nearer home occupied much of Joe 
Kansom’s attention, however. He was at drill 
every night now. It was not well to give his ene- 
mies a chance to say that he was dilatory or care- 
less of the danger which, to use the language of the 
day and of his friends, “ menaced the South.” It 
was quite evident that Captain Schaeffer was push- 
136 


T'he Eve ^ War 


ing for an independent command of infantry, artil- 
lery and cavalry, for he expected his commission as 
Major to be sent him soon by the President. He 
was preparing for action, too, for one night he or- 
dered his remaining men (there were more than a 
hundred even now) to take home with them their 
rifles and equipments, including a supply of ammu- 
nition, so that should any unexpected chance arise 
they could assemble on short notice and in readi- 
ness for action. 

When Joe told Colonel Stone these facts, the In- 
spector-General smiled. ‘‘I see he suspects me, 
Joe. And he may well do so. He fears that I 
may come over and seize his armory. As for his 
commission, it has already been signed by the 
President and has been sent to me.” 

“ Ah !” exclaimed the youth. “How I remem- 
ber you told me to watch you when that occurred. 
How are you going to keep Captain Schaeffer from 
getting his commission ? ” 

“ Continue to watch, my boy — continue to 
watch ! ” exclaimed Stone, laughing. “ I can’t 
give out news in advance. Indeed, I have to be 
very circumspect in whatever I do. As General 
Scott himself says : ‘We are in such a state that a 
dog-fight might cause the gutters of the capital to 
run with blood.’ . . . But how about Pretty- 

man’s company ? ” 

“ They call themselves the National Volunteers, 

137 


The Eve of Wax 


I understand,” said the boy. “ They drill industri- 
ously and hold regular business sessions. They 
have voted for gray Kentucky jeans for a uniform, 
with the Maryland button. But some of them 
think that the United States button ought to be 
used, for it will be necessary to get the requisition 
for arms and accoutrements signed by you.” 

“ And they’re right there ! ” exclaimed the Colonel. 

“But Dr. Prettyman says that if you refuse. 
Governor Letcher of Yirginia will furnish him 
everything. He is very confident of that,” said 
Joe, quietly. 

“Yes, yes; I suppose so. But you think the 
doctor will try me first ? ” 

“ I believe that is the intention. I don’t under- 
stand how it is possible for one to put states-rights 
so much before one’s loyalty to the Government 
and the flag,” and Joe sighed. 

At the moment a clerk brought in a card and 
handed it to Colonel Stone. The latter looked at it 
and smiled. “ Hi-ho, Kansom ! ” he exclaimed. 
“ Here’s your medical friend now.” 

“Hot Dr. Prettyman?” cried Joe, in sudden 
trouble. 

“ The very same.” 

“ But I was most careful in coming here — most 
careful.” 

“ Don’t you worry. Just step behind that screen ; 
take your chair with you. I shouldn’t wonder if it 
138 


T^he Eve ^ War 


was a case now between the doctor and me. Guess 
he has come with his requisition, and if he has — 
well, you’ll see, Joe, that your reports have done 
me, and the National Government, a deal of good.” 

Then Colonel Stone nodded to the clerk and 
hardly had Joe ensconced himself behind the screen 
when the pompous little doctor entered and came 
at once to the desk of the Inspector-General. Dr. 
Pretty man’s was not the accepted figure of a sol- 
dier ; but he possessed all the dignity required to 
clothe a Major-General. “ Good-morning, doctor,” 
was the Colonel’s affable greeting. What can I 
do for you ? ” 

“ Why, sir, they tell me there are to be no more 
requisitions for arms honored by the Chief of Ord- 
nance unless your signature accompanies the re- 
quest,” and the doctor’s smile was as cheerful as 
the Colonel’s own. 

“ Quite right, doctor. Let — me — see : you are in- 
terested in the National Volunteers, are you not ? ” 

The doctor flushed a trifle. “I have raised a 
company of a hundred men; but we are not yet 
quite decided what we shall call ourselves.” 

“Well, what’s in a name, eh?” and the Colonel 
really seemed quite jolly. “ You have your certifi- 
cate of election, have you ? Ah ! that is all right, 
sir. And now your muster-roll ; merely a matter of 
form. I cannot give an order for arms until I have 
seen that a full hundred men have enrolled.” 

139 


"The Eve War 


“ Quite right, sir,” declared the unsuspicious doc- 
tor, and out came the muster-roll on which were 
inscribed the names of one hundred of the three 
hundred and sixty men then drilling over Beach’s 
stable. Colonel Stone took the roll, glanced over 
the names, and finally dropped it into a drawer, 
saying, as he looked the doctor full in the face : 

“Dr. Prettyman, I am very happy to have ob- 
tained this list, and — I wish you good-morning ! ” 
For an instant the doctor looked astounded. 
Then he appeared to be ready to break out into a 
tirade of abuse. He saw that he was checkmated 
— that the Government, by this very neat trick of 
Stone’s, had obtained the names of a hundred sus- 
pected men. The humor of the situation finally 
reached him and dissipated his anger. “ Very well, 
Colonel Stone,” he said, with a grim smile, and 
bowing to the Inspector-General, went out hastily. 

“ There ! ” exclaimed Stone, with a sigh of relief, 
when Joe came out from behind the screen, “I 
think that will settle your ‘National Volunteers.’ 
Next comes the turn of Captain Schaeffer and his 
company. Whether I have such good luck with 
him, or not, I cannot say — till it’s over. But I shall 
know before long, I reckon.” 

Joe got away from the War Department, hoping 
that the doctor had not suspected his presence there. 
On the street he happened to run squarely into Mr. 
Kirk. The tall lawyer stopped him with a hand on 
140 


T'he Eve of WiLX 

either shoulder, and looked scrutinizingly into the 
boy’s eyes. “Well, young man,” he asked, “are 
you still inclined to obey me ? ” 

“I suppose so,” replied Joe, hanging his head, 
but feeling none too eager to receive further orders 
from the attorney. 

“ No ? ‘ I suppose so ! ’ Boys never do like to 

mind. It’s something they have to learn, though. 
And I have another order for you. You are get- 
ting interested — like these other young fellows, I 
believe — in military tactics, so we will call this 
command ‘ General Order Number Two.’ I wish 
you every day to go into Major Chesney’s room — 
when he is awake, mind you — and let him see that 
you ask after him.” 

“ He — he doesn’t want me there, sir ! ” stammered 
Joe. “You saw yourself how he looked at me the 
day I did go in. I shall only trouble him.” 

“ Do you love him ? ” demanded Kirk, harshly. 

“ Too well to trouble him, sir.” 

“ Then be guided by me. Go in there. Be sure 
that he sees you. This is a command, Kansom, and 
remember that I stand in the place of your guard- 
ian, and I will be obeyed.” 

“Oh, very well, sir!” responded Joe, haughtily, 
and involuntarily his hand went to his cap in salute. 
Then he was angry with himself for doing it, for 
the lawyer went on, chuckling. 

141 


CHAPTEE IX 


FEOM DOLLIE’S STANDPOIOT 

Had Dollie Chesney’s impulses always sprung 
from her own tender heart her pillow would, dur- 
ing this trying time, have been less frequently wet 
with tears by night. Her grandfather was ill unto 
death; Joe was separated from her by a chasm 
which she could not span ; and each day seemed to 
add to her difficulties and troubles. She had only 
her Uncle Philip to lean upon, and she clung to him 
all the closer and more blindly because he was her 
last stay and comfort. And in this great question 
which had arisen, Dollie could see but one thing 
for a true Southerner to do. She might forgive a 
Northerner for holding opposite opinions to herself 
— forgive him and pity him ; but for Joe Kansom, 
born and bred in the South, to take up the cudgel 
for the Yankees — ah ! that was beyond her under- 
standing. 

Joe’s attack on Paul Gladden and various circum- 
stances which followed, bore out in detail the opinion 
Dollie had so recently formed of Joe, and gave color 
to Philip Chesney’s accusations. In secret she wept 
for the boy she had known, for her playfellow and 
faithful friend ; but in the open Dollie was a bitter 
142 


The Eve ^ War 


enemy and refused to give Joe a chance to defend 
himself. Only Mr. Kirk’s intervention saved her 
from really driving Joe from Chesney House. And 
this would have been an awful thing, and Dollie 
knew it. Had he gone she would have had hard 
work to forgive herself, or defend her uncle’s 
course ; but as they had been checkmated by the 
lawyer, and Joe remained and practically upon a 
footing that made him master, her feelings swung 
like a pendulum to the other extremity, and she 
began to hate him ! When Joe went back to his 
chamber with his bag, under command of the attor- 
ney, the girl turned upon Mr. Kirk like a little 
vixen : 

“ Mr. Kirk, I always thought you a gentleman 
before this evening ! ” she exclaimed. “ But you 
certainly do not act the part. You have played a 
sorry trick upon us all — upon Uncle Philip, Dr. 
Pretty man, and myself. You have allowed us to go 
blindly on — absolutely in the dark — until you were 
pleased to explain Joe Kansom’s rights in this 
house. If it were not for my grandfather lying 
so ill, I would leave here myself ! ” 

The lawyer looked at her admiringly. “I 
haven’t the least doubt of it,” he said. 

“ But I have some doubt ! ” cried the physician. 
“ I want to be assured that you have these rights 
you assert, Kirk. I am the friend of both Philip 
and Dollie. I think I may be allowed to speak.” 

143 


’The Eve of W'm 


“ Quite true, sir. You may ask any question you 
like. And to explain : Major Chesney gave me a 
power of attorney some weeks ago, that I might 
attend to certain matters without his being troubled 
by them. I am allowed to draw checks and to 
govern his affairs, as well as to control such peculiar 
fowl as half-grown boys,” and the attorney nodded 
toward the stairs which Joe had just ascended. “ If 
Mr. Philip Chesney considers be has rights here 
which I am not prepared to allow, let him go to 
the courts — let him go to the courts, sir ! ” and he 
transfixed that sullen-faced young man with a pene- 
trating glance. 

“ That is my advice to him ! ” snapped Dr. Pret- 
tyman. “ The courts should settle this.” 

“ Oh, I hope not ! ” gasped Dollie, in sudden 
shrinking from such publicity, and Philip grasped 
at the opportunity thus given him, by adding : “ I 
shall suffer any indignity, doctor, rather than have 
our affairs dragged through the courts, excepting in 
last resource.” 

Kirk smiled appreciatively, and nodded. “ So I 
thought,” he said. Then he added, pointing his 
long finger suddenly at Dollie, “ And in addition, I 
control your affairs, too, Miss Chesney, now that 
your grandfather is ill.” 

‘‘ You do not ! ” cried Miss Spitfire. 

“ Oh, yes, I do. And it is well that I am so 
empowered. While I stand your guardian, your 
144 


The Eve ^ War 


goods and chattels will be safe,” he concluded, 
pointedly. 

The lawyer went away, but Dollie retired to the 
dining-room to discuss the matter with her uncle 
and Dr. Prettyman, who was a man not so loyal to 
his friends as he was obstinate in his opinion. He 
had said that Philip was a welcome Prodigal and 
that Joe Kansom was wholly bad; therefore he 
stuck to it as his diagnosis of the case. And noth- 
ing any one could tell him would make him change 
his conviction. Therefore he lent himself the more 
easily to Philip’s plans. 

And so active was this man’s mind, so sharp was 
he in evil ways, that hardly had the trio sat down 
to dinner when he saw a path to the end which had 
been in his mind from the moment he heard his 
father was stricken with paralysis. He might lose 
the Major’s estate ; but Dollie was far richer in her 
own right than her grandfather. And while he 
turned over the matters, pro and con, in his mind, 
he allowed the angry doctor and the girl herself to 
do all the talking. The doctor having given voice to 
several pungent remarks regarding Mr. Kirk, ended 
by declaring : ‘‘ And it is my opinion that James 
Kirk is no more loyal than he should be. Other- 
wise he would not treat you in this way, Philip.” 

“ Then that explains why he is so anxious to set 
Joe above us all,” rejoined Dollie, tartly. “For 
we know that Joe isn’t all that he should be.” 

145 


T'he Eve ^ War 


“ I — don’t — know,” said the doctor, slowly. 
‘‘ Schaeffer has confidence in him. The boy says 
he hopes there’ll be no war ” 

“ That’s enough ! ” snapped Miss Dollie. “ I 
hope there will be a war. The Yankees must be 
taught a lesson.” 

‘‘ But what troubles me most,” said Philip Ches- 
ney, “ is Dollie’s situation. Do you realize, doctor, 
that this Kirk has my niece in his power ? Every 
dollar she possesses is under his control now that 
poor father is ill. If he is in sympathy with the 
JSTorth ” 

“ I never thought of that,” cried Prettyman. 

“ He can’t make me do anything I don’t wish to,” 
said the girl, tossing her head. 

“ But he can play ducks and drakes with your 
money, unless he is stopped ! ” exclaimed the phy- 
sician. “ Remember that, young lady.” 

“ He would not dare ! ” 

“We don’t know what he will dare next,” said 
Philip, gloomily. 

“ Why, here ! ” cried the doctor. “ I see a way 
out of this. Of course, I have every hope of pull- 
ing the old Major through all right. But it may 
take months to do it. Meanwhile, if war breaks out, 
and Dollie should have to go South ” 

“ I would not leave grandfather,” declared the 
girl. 

“ But if there was fighting here in Washington, 
146 


The Eve of Tlzx 


we should have to take Major Chesney South, 
too.” 

“ Eight ! ” exclaimed Philip. “ This troubles me 
— much.” 

“Why, see here! You need a man to think for 
you people,” said the little doctor, suddenly glow- 
ing with his idea. “ You must spike Kirk’s guns. 
You must put a spoke in his wheel. You must 
block his plans.” 

“ Skip further metaphors and say how,” cried 
Philip. 

“ Nothing easier. Dollie has it in her power to 
ask the court for a guardian to be appointed pend- 
ing her grandfather’s illness. In fact, she ought. 
And you’re the man for it, Philip.” 

“ No, no ! ” cried the Major’s son, quickly. “ That 
would never do. A guardian, I grant. But not I. 
Kirk would never allow that.” 

“ What has Mr. Kirk to do about it, pray ? ” de- 
manded Dollie, proudly. “ If I want my uncle for 
a guardian, why should I not have him ? What is 
more reasonable ? ” 

“Yes, yes,” said Prettyman, feeb}y. 

“ Dollie,” said Philip, visibly affected, “ did you 
hear what Mr. Kirk said ? He will turn my folly 
of the past against me in this matter. I was a wild 
young man, my dear child, and now I am paying 
for it. Should you apply to the courts to have me 
appointed your guardian, everything I ever did 

147 


The Eve War 


would be brought up against me. When I grieved 
my dear father, everybody knew about it. What 
everybody does not know, and what Kirk will be — 
er — precious sure they won’t find out or believe, is 
that my father has forgiven me. There would be a 
terrible row if you asked for me to be appointed.” 

“ What shall I do, then ? ” cried the girl. “ I 
don’t mean to have anything to do with Mr. Kirk 
after this. Even the servants — mammy, Luke and 
Mercury — are under his control.” 

“ I suggest that the doctor act as your guardian,” 
said Philip, quietly. “ Every one knows his probity. 
Even Kirk cannot object.” 

“ I will. Uncle Philip ! ” cried the girl. The fact 
that the doctor could be her guardian seemed to de- 
light her. 

“ Upon— my— word ! ” began Prettyman, taken 
aback. 

“Don’t refuse, sir,” cried Dollie. “If you do. 
I’ll think you are not my friend.” 

“ I’m honored— honored. Miss Dollie ! ” declared 
the physician, recovering his breath. 

“ There will be no difficulty, then,” Philip said, 
with a sigh of relief. “ Dollie is sixteen — old 
enough to choose her own guardian. We will 
make the application to-morrow, doctor. In these 
times, with so much going on, we cannot act too 
quickly. Who knows what may happen during the 
next few weeks ? ” 


148 


The Eve ^ War 


And so the matter was arranged. DoUie was to 
petition the court in the morning, and Joe, who saw 
her ride away in the doctor’s carriage when that 
gentleman came up for his usual call upon Major 
Chesney, had no suspicion of what was taking 
place. But the doctor gave the boy a hard look as 
they left the house. “ Do you know, Dollie,” he 
said, “ I believe Joe was out last night.” 

“ What do you mean, doctor ? ” she asked. “ I 
know he goes almost every night to drill with the 
other boys.” 

“ No, no ! he went to no drill. I was there 
myself.” The doctor was positive. “ As I drove 
away from the house I saw somebody on horse- 
back ride out of the lane behind the stable. It 
was too dark to see clearly ; who but Joe would 
ride Sultan ? ” 

“ Was it my grandfather’s horse ? ” cried the girl, 
flushing. 

“ I know his stride. I’m sure it was.” 

^‘But, come to think of it. Mercury said Joe had 
gone to bed. There was no light in his room after 
you went away, sir. And the doors were all locked 
then.” 

“ Humph ! I reckon that boy could find some way 
of getting out. But I wonder what for.” 

This report troubled Dollie, and when she re- 
turned she kept wondering if Joe had really been 
out on a night ride. Paul Gladden happened to 
149 


The Eve of Wzv 


come to call that day and she invited him in, the 
first time she had allowed herself to see any of her 
friends for more than a moment since Major 
Chesney’s stroke. “ It is good of you to come so 
often to inquire after grandfather,” she said to 
young Gladden. 

“ Why, Miss Dollie, we’re all so sorry for him, 
and for you, you know. Nothing seems to ‘go’ 
now that you are out of it. Everybody has lost 
interest in social alfairs. The big reception of the 
season will be given up, they say.” 

“ Oh, I don’t see how people can have the heart 
for such pleasures,” said Dollie, with a sigh. “ The 
city seems to be in mourning. And yet, there is 
something terribly exciting about it all, too. With 
the men drilling and talking war all the time — why, 
it’s fine ! ” 

“They’ve taken me into the National Kifles, 
Miss Dollie ! ” exclaimed Paul, proudly. 

“Oh, have they? Then Joe Ransom joined be- 
fore you did ? ” 

“ That was Tom Marshall’s doing,” said Paul, 
rather sullenly. “ Captain Schaeffer took him right 
in without anything but a medical examination. 
And just because I’m short, and under weight, I 
had to fight for a place. I’m a year older than Joe, 
too.” 

“I wonder that Joe was allowed to join,” said 
Dollie reflectively. 

ISO 


The Eve of 


“ He never seemed to be very anxious. I thought 
he was a regular Black Abolitionist.” 

“ He must have had a sudden change of heart.” 

“ You and Joe have quarreled ? ” suggested Paul. 

“Well, we’re not good friends. I’ll tell you, 
Paul, what I think. I believe Joe Kansom is no 
more a Southerner at heart than — than Abe Lincoln 
himself ! ” 

Paul looked startled. “What’s he joined us 
for ? ” he asked. 

“ I don’t know. Joe quarreled with poor grand- 
father over that very thing the day he was taken 
ill — ^yes, he did ! And I’ll tell you what J oe told 
me. He said he’d stand by the flag — meaning the 
stars and stripes, you know — always, and that he 
could never flght against it. How what do you 
make of his turning square around and joining the 
National Kifles ? Uncle Philip says he has no faith 
in Joe’s conversion. It was too sudden.” 

“ Why, Dollie, Captain Schaeffer ought to know 
about this,” observed Paul, warmly. 

“ You mustn’t tell him, Paul. If you do I shall 
be angry, for I don’t really know that he is disloyal. 
. . . By the way, Paul, was he at drill last 

night?” 

“ Ho. He did not come.” 

“ I believe he went to town, just the same. And 
he went secretly. Dr. Prettyman thought he saw 
him.” 

151 


"The Eve of "War 


“ My, my ! He is acting very suspiciously,’’ 
exclaimed Paul, eager to be off and repeat the 
conversation, for he was a born gossip. Dollie 
watched him from the door and saw Mercury, who 
was coming up the path, dodge out of Paul’s way 
and, when he was past, turn and “ make faces ” be- 
hind the back of the departing visitor. 

“ What do you mean by such actions, you dis- 
graceful boy ? ” Dollie demanded, seizing Mercury 
the instant he entered the house. 

“ Wha — wha’ dat. Miss Dollie ? ” 

“ I saw you, you little rascal ! ” and she shook 
him with emphasis. “ Don’t you know you should 
be punished for being saucy to Mr. Gladden ? ” 

“ Wal, I don’ know as he’s so big ! He ain’t ’s big 
as Mars’ Joe. An’ he was mean to me.” 

“Who was mean to you — Mr. Gladden ?” cried 
Dollie. “You are a strange child. Mercury. What 
did Mr. Gladden do to you ? And have you for- 
gotten what Joe Kansom did to you the other day ? 
Your face is hardly well yet.” 

“ Ah ain’ fo’got what Mars’ Joe done ! ” cried Mer- 
cury, with a grin. “ An’ ah reckon Mars’ Gladden 
won’t fo’git it, nudder. He won’t hit me wid he’s 
ol’ cane bery soon.” 

“ Who won’t — Joe ? ” 

“Lawsy, miss! Did yo’ tink Mars’ Joe made 
dem welts on ma face ? Ah reckon not ! Mars’ 
J oe don’ treat a po’ lil’ culled boy so bad. Dat was 
152 


"The Eve ^ War 


Mars’ Gladden done dat, an’ Mars’ Joe Kansom 
stopped him an’ licked him ’nstead. Yaas, in- 
deedy ! ” 

“Was it Paul who beat you?” cried Dollie, in 
amazement. 

“ He suttenly did, Miss Dollie. An’ jes’ for not- 
ten’. ’Deed ah didn’t mean fo’ to splash he’s pants 
wid mud ; ah told him so. But he jes’ cut me ober 
de haid — fearful ! Den Mars’ Joe come runnin’, an’ 
found out wot de matter ; an’ he jes’ larrupped dat 
Paul Gladden— hi ! yi ! ” 

“Why — why, Mercury, I told grandfather that 
Joe had struck you.” 

“Did yo’. Miss Dollie? Wal, yo’ was mistooken 
— ^yaas yo’ was ! ” 

“ Didn’t grandfather say anything to you about it 
that evening ? ” 

“ Oh, yaas, Miss Dollie. He called me inter de 
lib’ry, de ol’ Majah did ; jes’ ’fore he was took so 
baid,” and Mercury began to whimper. “ He axed 
me ’bout ma face an’ ah tol’ him de way it happened. 
He neber blamed me. Miss Dollie.” 

“Why, nobody’s blaming you,” cried the girl. 
“Then grandfather knows that Joe did not strike 
you ? ” 

“ W’y, missie ! he know widout my tollin’ him, dat 
Mars’ Joe wouldn’t lay he’s finger on me — ’lessen ah 
desarbed it.” 

The girl winced at this. The confidence of the 

153 


'The Eve ^ War 


black boy in Joe’s justice stung her. But she was 
secretly glad that her grandfather knew the truth 
and, under it all, she was relieved to see one 
“count” against Joe Kansom wiped out. Mean- 
while the matter of the appointment of a guardian 
in place of Major Chesney, went on rapidly. And 
the doctor had his troubles, too. He came to them 
one evening and told the interested Philip Chesney 
and the sympathetic Dollie that his company had 
been refused arms and accoutrements by Colonel 
Stone. “Old Stone is growing suspicious,” re- 
marked Chesney. “ He is a Massachusetts man — a 
Yankee through and through, if he has lived here so 
long.” 

“ It will break up the Volunteers,” said the doctor, 
with a groan. 

“ I hope not,” cried Philip. “ We shall win yet 
— if we have to wade through blood ! ” Dollie 
trembled at his words. At such times as this his 
face was not pleasant to look upon, and all his hid- 
den recklessness for a moment showed forth. 

One day Mr. Kirk came to see Dollie. To tell the 
truth the lawyer had hurried to Chesney House the 
instant he heard of the petition for a new guardian 
to be appointed for her person and estate ; neverthe- 
less, he seemed as calm and unruffled as usual. 
“ My dear child, you do not know what you are do- 
ing,” he told her. “ Your property is safe now. It 
is in English bonds which will probably not dete- 

154 


T^he Eve War 

riorate. But if Philip Chesney gets hold of your 
wealth — well, heaven help you, that’s all ! ” 

“Sir! you are insulting,” cried the girl. “And 
as it happens. Uncle Philip has nothing to do with 
it. Dr. Prettyman is going to be my guardian un- 
til grandfather gets well.” 

“ Er — don’t you think that Philip has a good deal 
of influence over the doctor?” queried Kirk, 
mildly. 

“ I do not see wherein it concerns you in the least 
— excepting that it takes the matter entirely out of 
your hands.” 

“Very well,” he said, quietly. “I cannot fight 
the doctor. He is a man of probity. But remem- 
ber what I tell you now. If you hear of any of 
your investments being changed, forbid it — in- 
stantly 1 Invest in neither Northern nor Southern 
securities at present. For aside from the English 
bonds, you have nothing — excepting your wardrobe, 
and Luke and Mercury. They belong to you. 
And, my poor child, if you want a friend, come to 
me or — go to Joe Kansom.” 

Had Lawyer Kirk been one of her own friends, 
had she been sure that he was a Southern sym- 
pathizer, Dollie would have listened to him more 
willingly. Outside the door of her grandfather’s 
sick-room she was interested in little but the com- 
ing struggle for the independence of the South. In 
Dollie’s opinion it would be another Kevolutionary 

155 


"The Eve of WdiT 


War. She read the newspapers quite as anxiously 
as Joe did, or Philip Chesney. When Georgia se- 
ceded, and Louisiana and Texas followed within the 
fortnight, making the fifth faithful state to fall into 
line, she was delighted. But she could only talk 
about these things to Philip, and he had become 
very morose and uncommunicative. He received 
few letters ; but occasionally he went away from 
the house — usually in the evening — and remained 
for some hours. One day he informed her that he 
should be obliged to go out of town soon. 

“ Dear uncle, I hope nothing has happened ? ” she 
cried, seeing his gloomy face. 

“ Nothing at all, my dear. But I am called away 
on business.’’ 

“ Where are you going ? I’ll pack your bag,” she 
said, with housewifely concern. 

“I’m going to Baltimore,” he returned, care- 
lessly. Then, in haste: “No, no! Never mind 
where I’m going. It is a secret, child.” 

Of late Joe had been visiting the sick-room daily, 
whereas he had avoided it before. Dollie was vastly 
astonished when he presented himself at the door 
on the first morning. When the nurse told him 
that the Major was awake he stepped in, and Dollie, 
who vividly remembered the look the old man 
seemed to turn upon Joe on a certain memorable 
occasion, was further amazed by the expression in 
Major Chesney ’s eyes now that he saw the boy 
156 


The Eve of War 

again. A sudden light illumined them and tears 
moistened the sick man’s cheeks. Joe saw this, too, 
and his heretofore gloomy face shone. “ I am de- 
lighted to see you so much stronger, sir ! ” the boy 
said, brokenly. 

Then he went away, but every day thereafter he 
came and spoke to the sick man. If the latter was 
asleep he waited for him to rouse. Joe’s visits did 
not disturb the old man. Sometimes Dollie caught 
his gaze fixed eagerly upon the door of the room 
until Joe appeared, when the sick man’s eyes would 
light up with an unmistakable welcome. Dollie 
began to doubt if there was any quarrel between 
her grandfather and his adopted son, after all. 

And then came a day of great remembrance in 
the house. Dollie happened to enter the room 
softly, and seeing only mammy quietly nodding in 
the far corner, and missing the nurse, thought that 
her grandfather was alone. She hurried toward the 
bed, when suddenly she observed Joe on his knees 
on the farther side of the couch, with his head bur. 
ied in the coverlet. 

Dollie glanced quickly at her grandfather’s face. 
The eyes were moist with tears again, and he was look- 
ing lovingly upon the boy’s bowed head. And then 
Dollie shrieked aloud : “ Look at his hand ! ” For 
the old man had lifted his right hand — dead for so 
many days — and rested it in benediction upon Joe’s 
brown curls ! 


157 


CHAPTEE X 


DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND 

And Joe Kansom’s heart was warm these days, 
especially toward Mr. Kirk. “ General Order 
Number Two ” the boy found to have been given 
with a wisdom which seemed little less than mirac- 
ulous. One morning, the nurse having left the 
room (Mammy Laura was asleep at its farther end) 
young Eansom blurted out his sorrow for hurting 
his guardian’s feelings by holding different views 
from the latter on the existing controversy. With 
this he fell upon his knees, to stifle his sobs in the 
coverlet, for, boy like, he thought tears unmanly, and 
it was then that the Wonderful Thing happened. 

Dollie’s cry brought everybody in the house, 
though Philip came no farther than the library 
door. Major Chesney had actually moved his right 
hand. Dr. Prettyman was sent for and declared 
that now his patient was fairly on the road to re- 
covery. Joe found himself rather hustled about by 
the women folk, and retired after a few minutes, 
happy enough. But in the hall Philip scowled 
upon him like a threatening thunder-cloud ; so feel- 
ing depressed by this encounter Joe went for a canter 
on Sultan. 


158 


The Eve ^ War 


He rode into town, left his horse at the stable, 
and went over to the War Department to see 
Colonel Stone. He was welcomed by that gentle- 
man with every mark of cordiality. “ Have you 
heard the news ? ” Stone asked him. 

“What has happened now? Major Chesney is 
better — that is the best news I’ve heard for a long 
time ; about the only good news, in fact,” returned 
Joe. 

“ And that certainly is good news I ” cried the 
officer, heartily. “ But there is something else hap- 
pening. You were not out last evening ? ” 

“ No ; I did not go to the drill,” said Joe. 

“ You’d have heard something, had you done so. 
There must have been some ‘ language ’ there,” and 
Colonel Stone smiled, reflectively. 

“ What is it, sir ? ” asked Joe, interested. 

“Well, I told you that Captain Schaeffer’s turn 
would come next after Prettyman’s, and it has. He 
was in to see me yesterday.” 

“ What about ? ” 

“Well, he walked in here with the air of a much 
injured man, holding in his hand a requisition 
for arms and ammunition. I rather think he be- 
lieved he could help the doctor out in that 'way. 
They’d had their heads together. He said he’d 
been to the Ordnance Office and was informed 
that no arms could be issued without my ap. 
proval. 


159 


The Eve of 'Wax 


“‘That’s correct,’ said I. ‘Secretary Holt has 
made that order, and it is general.’ 

“ ‘ Do you mean that no volunteer company can 
have arms ? ’ he demanded, beginning to bluster. 

“‘Not without my signature to their demand. 
As for your company. Captain Schaeffer,’ said I, 
‘you already have in your possession more rifles 
than are required for your men. You can have no 
more.’ 

“ ‘ This is tyranny, sir ! ’ exclaimed the Captain. 
‘ Let me tell you that my company can easily take 
what arms it needs, if it comes to that, sir ! ’ 

“ You know, Kansom, this man Schaeffer is an 
unwise fellow. He talks right out. But that 
makes him less dangerous than some of our other 
enemies. So I asked him in a casual way, where 
he could take the arms he so desired and seemed 
determined to obtain ? 

“ ‘ You have only four soldiers guarding the Co- 
lumbian armory, where there are plenty of arms, 
and those four men could not prevent my taking 
them ! ’ says he. 

“ ‘ Ah I ’ I replied. ‘ In what part of the armory 
are those arms kept ? ’ 

“ ‘ On the upper floor.’ 

“ And that’s true, Joe. He evidently knew what 
he was talking about. ‘Well,’ said I, ‘you seem to 
be well informed. If you think it best, just you try 
to take the arms by force. You may get them, but 
i6o 


"The Eve ^ War 


you’ll be fired upon by one hundred and fifty 
soldiers as you come out of the armory.’ ” 

“Where would you get them?” cried Joe. 
“ There aren’t so many soldiers in the city, sir ! ” 

“ They are near by,” said the Colonel, easily. 
“ Barry’s battery has arrived at the Washington 
arsenal, and there is a company of sappers and 
miners coming from West Point to guard the Co- 
lumbian armory. There really weren’t but two 
men over there yesterday. Schaeffer went out 
with a fiea in his ear, and I made up my mind that 
it had come time to put the cap on the Captain ; so 
when he reached his office after leaving mine, he 
found there an order directing him to deposit in the 
Columbian armory before sunset the two howitzers 
of which you told me, Joe, with their carriages, the 
cavalry sabres, and the revolvers which formed no 
part of an infantry equipment,” and the Colonel 
went off into a chuckle of satisfaction. 

“ He couldn’t help himself. He hadn’t time to 
call together enough men to resist ; and if he had 
resisted,” and the Colonel’s smile changed suddenly 
to a dark look, “ I would have taken those howitzers 
if I’d had to batter down the walls of the National 
Rifies armory to get them ! ” 

Joe sighed. “ There surely will be open trouble 
if this keeps on. I came to tell you, sir, that Mr. 
Philip Chesney is going away.” 

“ Going South ? ” asked the Colonel. 

i6i 


T^he Eve of 'W2 lt 


“ No. He’s going to Baltimore, I believe. And 
you said we’d keep our eyes on Baltimore, you 
know.” 

“ Yes, yes ! That city has gone mad with hatred 
against Lincoln and the Abolitionists. If Philip 
Chesney is going there it will be important to know 
what he does. Let me know the moment he leaves. 
I’ll have somebody shadow him.” 

“ Yery well, sir.” 

“Beg pardon. Colonel Stone,” said a clerk, pre- 
senting himself suddenly. “ Captain Schaeffer to 
see you, sir.” 

“ Wonder what’s up now ? ” queried the inspector. 
“ Well, send him in. Don’t keep him waiting. No ! 
you can’t go, Joe. He’ll see you. Get out of sight 
again. I shouldn’t wonder after all but that I do 
know what he’s come for. There’s that little mat- 
ter of the commission yet — you remember ? ” 

Captain Schaeffer’s face was much overcast as he 
approached Stone’s desk ; but the Colonel was as 
affable as though they were the best of friends. 
“ Sir,” the former declared, “ I have obeyed your 
order and given up those howitzers ” 

“Very good. Captain,” Stone hastily observed. 
“ That is quite right. Now I have here in my 
drawer a commission of Major for you — the Presi- 
dent has signed it.” 

The information quite disarmed the visitor, for 
he could not help being pleased at this news. 
162 


The Eve of 'n-e.x 


“ Yes, I heard I had been appointed,” he said. The 
Colonel reached into a pigeon hole and found a slip 
of paper which he passed silently to the Captain. 
“ Why, sir ! ” exclaimed the latter, “ this is not my 
commission.” 

“ Oh, no, sir,” said Stone, suavely. “ There is a 
little formality first. This is the form of oath 
which the law requires to be taken by ofiicers.” 

“ There is no such law ! ” the Captain ex- 
claimed. 

“ You are mistaken, sir. There is such a law. It 
has never been repealed, and it is necessary for you 
to sign this. You will find a justice of the peace 
on the next fioor. Please qualify, sign the form in 
duplicate, and bring both to me. One will be filed 
with your letter of acceptance, the other will be 
filed in the clerk’s office of the Circuit Court of the 
district.” 

Captain Schaeffer took the paper with a very 
sober look. The Colonel turned at once to the 
documents on his desk and seemed to be very busy ; 
but Joe, from behind the screen, observed the hesi- 
tating Captain closely. The man stood there read- 
ing over and over again the form of oath, and the 
changes of expression on his face were worth 
watching. He was a gentleman, if a mistaken one ; 
his honor revolted at the thought of taking an oath 
which he was already determined to break. Sud- 
denly Colonel Stone glanced up. ‘‘Ah, Schaeffer, 
163 


The Eve of Tizx 


have you taken the oath already?” he asked, 
calmly. 

“ No,” replied the Captain, slowly. 

“ Well, please be quick about it, as I have no time 
to spare.” 

“ Why, sir, in ordinary times I would not mind 
taking it ; but in these times ” 

“ Ah ! ” exclaimed Colonel Stone, and a note of 
immense satisfaction and relief seemed, to the lis- 
tener, to shake his voice, “you decline to accept 
your commission of Major? Very well, sir, very 
well ! ” and he returned the commission to the 
drawer and locked it in. 

“ Oh, no ! ” exclaimed the Captain. “ I want the 
commission.” 

“ But, sir, you cannot have it ! ” thundered Stone, 
rising from his seat and facing him. “ Do you sup- 
pose that, in these times, which are not, as you say, 
‘ordinary times,’ I would think of delivering a 
commission of field officer to a man who hesitates 
about taking the oath of office? Do you think 
that the Government of the United States is stupid 
enough to allow a man to march armed men about 
the Federal District under its authority, when that 
man hesitates to take the simple oath of office? 
No, sir, you cannot have this commission ; and 
more than that, I now inform you that you hold no 
office in the District of Columbia Yolunteers ! ” 

“ Yes, I do ! ” cried Schaeffer, angrily. “ I am 
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The Eve ^ War 


Captain, and have my commission as such, signed 
by the President and delivered to me by the Major- 
General.” 

“ I am aware that such a paper was delivered to 
you, sir,” returned Stone, sharp as a whip-crack. 
“ But y<3u failed legally to accept it.” 

“ I wrote a letter of acceptance to the Adjutant- 
General, and forwarded it through the Major- 
General.” 

‘‘Yes, I am aware that you did ; but I also know 
that you failed to enclose in that letter, according 
to law, the form of oath required to accompany all 
letters of acceptance. Oh the register of the War 
Department, while the issuance of your commission 
is recorded, the acceptance is not recorded. You 
have never legally accepted your commission, and 
it is now too late. The oath of a man who hesi- 
tates to take it will not now be accepted ! ” 

“What do you mean. Colonel Stone?” cried 
Schaeffer. “ Do you undertake to stand here and 
tell me that I am not the commanding officer of my 
own company ? ” 

“ That is it, exactly, sir ! ” returned the Inspector- 
General. “ I bid you good-day, Mr. Schaeffer ! ” 
and so saying, he turned his back upon the wrathful 
man and sat down again at his desk. 

Joe, looking from behind the screen, feared that 
Schaeffer would attack the officer ; but after a mo- 
ment’s hesitation, the deposed officer with an ejacu- 
165 


The Eve of TIzx 


lation of rage, hurried from the office. “What 
will he do?” cried Joe, coming out. 

“ What can he do ? ” demanded the Colonel, 
mildly. 

“He will rouse the company. There will be 
trouble — a war right in the very city itself.” 

“ Ho, no ! Hot yet, at least. They’re not ready 
for it,” returned Stone, shaking his head. “ I have 
spiked their guns too early in the day. They won’t 
let him spoil their chance of seizing the Govern- 
ment departments by any overt act. There is a 
plan, I believe, for seizing the public departments 
and obtaining possession of the seals of the Gov- 
ernment. Schaeffer’s part, with the battalion he 
was to form when he got his commission as Major, 
was to take possession of the Treasury Department. 
What they will do now, I don’t see. The Hational 
Volunteers are practically broken up; your com- 
pany is without a head. We have at least set back 
the plot for some time by this day’s work. How, 
my boy, my hope is in the loyal' volunteer com- 
panies that are being formed, and in the fact that 
we have thrown confusion into the enemy’s camp. 
Be sure and go to the drill of your company to- 
night.” 

“ Yes, sir. But without a leader, will there be a 
drill ? Won’t the company fall to pieces ?” 

“We must not let it,” said the Colonel, gravely. 
“ There are men in that company who may be saved 
1 66 


The Eve of 'Wzv 


to our cause — I know that, Kansom. They are not 
all fire-eating Yankee-killers.’’ 

“I believe you are right, Colonel Stone,” Joe ad- 
mitted. 

“ You are on the spot. To-night look them over 
and report. I have a number of trusty men ready 
to join the ranks. The worst of your company 
went with Prettyman, and they must be kept from 
returning. I’ll order a new election for Captain by 
and by. Meantime I will speak to a young fellow 
I know who is on duty in the ofiice of the Coast 
Survey — Lieutenant Smead of the Second Artillery. 
He would fill Schaeffer’s office excellently. Be sure 
and go to the armory to-night, Kansom.” 

His interest would have carried Joe there, with- 
out the Colonel’s command. He was fascinated by 
the military drill, as most boys are, and the idea 
that this finely uniformed and well drilled com- 
pany might be made over into a loyal body of vol- 
unteers, delighted Joe exceedingly. But there was 
not much drilling this evening. The men stood 
about in groups and discussed the happenings of 
the two days. Captain Schaeffer did not appear. 
It was reported that he was heart-broken over the 
loss of his command. Some of the men were loud 
in their expressions of disgust at the work which 
had put Schaeffer out of the organization. Others, 
Joe noticed, kept apart and said little. These 
quiet ones the boy tried to sound, and as he had 
167 


T^he Eve ^ War 


made no secret of his own hope that there would 
be no war, some of these told him their real senti- 
ments. 

“ The company has been placed in a wrong light 
by Captain Schaeffer and some of his friends,” re- 
marked one older member. “We should never be 
where we are to-day — without a head and likely to 
be disbanded — had our leaders acted fairly and 
honestly.” 

But such statements as this were uncommon. 
Joe heard one man — Nat Cleft — urging his mates 
to take their arms and go over to “ Old Stone’s 
house and riddle it with bullets.” Tom Marshall 
had come in during the evening and was in the 
party which surrounded the loudly talking Cleft, so 
Joe went over to speak to his chum. “ I’m sorry 
I ever left the company to join that crowd of 
Pretty man’s,” Tom said, confidentially, to Joe. 
“Now I’ve got no standing anywhere. I’m afraid 
they won’t let me back in here. You were wise to 
remain.” 

“ There were too many fire-eaters in your crowd,” 
said Joe, smiling. 

“ Well, I don’t know but I have got in with a 
pretty dangerous lot,” returned Tom, shaking his 
head. 

“ Drop them,” advised Joe, looking at him with 
scrutinizing eyes. He could see that something 
was worrying Tom. The usually merry face of 
1 68 


The Eve War 


his chum was downcast. “I would if I were 
you.” 

“ I can’t,” said Tom, dropping his gaze. 

“ Why not ? ” 

“ Oh, I can’t tell you, old man. I really can’t. 
But I’ve gone too far now to back out. I ought to 
be proud to be let in with them, too, I suppose. 
Your uncle, Philip Chesney, is one of them.” 

“ He’s no uncle of mine ! ” exclaimed Joe, in dis- 
gust. 

“Well, Dollie’s uncle.” 

“My goodness, Tom! I’m sorry to hear that 
you’re in with him. He’s a bad man.” 

“ I don’t like him any too well. Especially since 
he tried to tell me a lot of stuff about you, Joe. I 
told him he’d got to drop that if he wanted to be 
an acquaintance of mine. But he’s a loyal South- 
erner.” 

“Which I am not, I suppose?” returned Joe, 
gloomily. 

“You’re a cautious one, anyway,” said Tom, with 
an uneasy laugh. “I only wish I were half as 
cautious. What’s that Cleft is saying ? ” 

Nat Cleft was swinging his arms and addressing 
those around him vigorously; among his hearers 
were some of the more rabid Southerners belonging 
to the company. “ Tales have been carried to Old 
Stone, or to some other busybody. How would he 
have known about the howitzers, and that we had 
169 


The Eve War 


too many arms, if there wasn’t a spy in the camp ? 
Now tell me that?” 

“ Who do you think would do such a thing, Mr. 
Cleft ? ” asked a voice on the edge of the group, 
and Joe observed Paul Gladden crowding in to- 
ward the speaker. 

“ Huh ! you needn’t ask me that. Gladden ! ” 
cried the man. “ You’re the one that first opened 
my eyes. You suggested the fact that one of our 
members was a spy.” 

Gladden flushed, but said coolly: “Well, what I 
said in confidence to you, Mr. Cleft, I would not 
repeat openly — unless I had very good reasons for 
doing so.” 

“ See here, Paul ! ” cried Tom, becoming inter- 
ested. “If you think you know anybody who’s 
been tattling, why don’t you say so ? ” 

“ Oh, you wouldn’t believe it, Tom Marshall ! ’’ 
cried Gladden. 

“ Come, young man, you might as well state your 
suspicions right here and now,” said Cleft. “ You’re 
not going to put it off onto me,” and he looked 
ugly. 

“ I didn’t say I was sure that there was a spy 
here,” began Paul, trying to back out of the group 
as well as out of the situation, which promised to be 
far from comfortable. But Tom Marshall suddenly 
reached over and caught him by the collar. 

“No, you don’t, Paul!” he cried. “You won’t 
170 


The Eve War 


go around whispering any more. Out with it. 
Say whom you mean, and say it to his face ! ” He 
swung his victim around suddenly until he con- 
fronted Joe Ransom. 

“ Do you mean me ? ” queried Joe, calmly. 

But Cleft came to Paul’s aid. “ Hands off, there, 
young Marshall ! ” he cried, striking Tom’s clutch 
from Paul’s collar. “We’ll have this thing out as 
you say. But Gladden is not the culprit. I’ve 
heard more than Gladden suggest that Ransom 
wasn’t all that he should be, and now’s the time to 
have it out, sure enough ! Let Gladden tell what 
he knows and then I’ll tell you fellows what I’ve 
heard myself. Speak up. Gladden, and don’t let 
them browbeat you.” 

“ Rather an informal court-martial, don’t you 
think ? ” said some one, in disgust. “ You’re carry- 
ing things too far. Cleft.” 

“ Oh, Joe Ransom isn’t afraid of anything you 
can bring against him ! ” cried Tom, with his hand 
on his friend’s shoulder. 

This speech came nearer to making Joe break 
down than the accusation itself. He turned quickly 
to his chum and seized his hand. “ Let ’em talk, 
old man!” Joe whispered. “Don’t you mind.” 
Then he faced Cleft and Gladden again. “ Go 
ahead, gentlemen. Let’s hear what you’ve got 
against me. I’d like to know what proof you have 
that I am a spy ? ” 


171 


CHAPTER XI 


THE GAUNTLET IS FLUNG 

Now Paul Gladden was not an especially coura- 
geous youth, and he was undeniably frightened at 
this juncture. In secret he could whisper, and 
insinuate, and suggest; but brought face to face 
with his victim he turned squeamish at once. He 
felt the pressure of Tom Marshall’s hand was still 
upon his shoulder, and Joe’s eyes, which looked so 
steadily into his, were quite disconcerting. Even 
truth, when mixed with venom, loses much of its 
power. 

“ I haven’t anything to say about Ransom except 
what was told me by his own folks,” said Gladden, 
sullenly. 

“ Whom do you mean ? ” demanded Tom. 

“ Now, old man, let me handle him,” interposed 
Joe, quietly ; but Gladden answered the question : 
“Well, if you must know. Miss Dollie Chesney told 
me that ” 

Joe wheeled toward Gladden, his eyes blazing. 
“Hold on, sir! Nobody made you answer that 
question. You have dragged a young lady’s name 
into this discussion — have made a cowardly attempt 
to put your own blackguardism upon her. You are 
172 


rhe Eve of War 


a scoundrel, Paul Gladden, and here is my answer 
without waiting to hear another word from you ! ” 
and he delivered a sharp blow with his open palm 
upon each of Paul’s ears. 

Instantly there was an uproar, part of the crowd 
crying out that Joe was right, and the others siding 
with Gladden. Tom patted his chum on the back 
in delight. “ Great ! great ! just what j^ou should 
have done, Joe, old bo}^ ! ” Then he whispered : 
“ Who’s a fire-eater, now, eh ? ” But he was 
mightily pleased. “ If Kansom hadn’t struck him, 
I would ! Nobody but a cad would have dragged a 
girl’s name into the muss.” 

“ But Hansom hasn’t answered him. That isn’t 
an answer ! ” shouted Cleft, red-faced and ugly. 

“ Let Gladden answer Joe with his fists, then ! ” 
chuckled Tom. 

“ I have heard no specific accusation yet,” Joe ob- 
served, mildly. 

“Well, I’ll tell you something, then,” said Cleft, 
planting himself in front of the two friends. “ And 
I did not get my information from any lady. Your 
guardian’s son. Ransom, Mr. Philip Chesney, in- 
forms me that you have quarreled with the Major 
because 3^ou hold opposite opinions from him on — 
well, on the questions of the day. You have de- 
clared for the Federal Government, yet you joined 
this company.” 

A hush fell upon the crowd and all eyes eagerly 

173 


'The Eve ^ War 


sought Joe’s face. He had flushed deeply and then 
paled; but anger was all that made his tongue 
stammer. He had forgotten to be afraid now. 
‘‘You are likewise repeating something second- 
hand, Mr. Cleft. And from a source that I, for 
one, would not accept as conclusive if your accusa- 
tion was directed at any other man here.” 

“ You wouldn’t throw that doubt in Mr. Philip 
Chesney’s teeth, young man ! ” exclaimed Cleft. 

“ Wouldn’t I? Bring him here. I am not afraid 
to face a forger ! ” 

A murmur rose from his hearers. Some of them 
had known of Philip’s old crime. “ That’s a dead 
letter now, Kansom,” said somebody. 

“ And his father has forgiven him and taken him 
back,” interposed a second individual. 

Joe flashed on them instantly. “ How do you 
know that ? ” 

“ Dr. Prettyman told me.” 

“ And who told him ? Philip Chesney himself ! ” 
cried Joe. “ He did not dare come to the house to 
take up his residence until after the Major’s attack, 
which left him powerless to move or speak.” Then 
he stopped and half turned away. “ But this is a 
family matter, and concerns nobody here in the 
least. Mr. Cleft had no more right to drag Philip 
Chesney’s name into it than Gladden had to mention 
the lady’s. If Cleft can offer any evidence that I 
am not what I should be, why doesn’t he do it ? ” 

174 


The Eve War 

“That’s right!” cried Tom, angrily. “This is 
all bunkum and bluff.” 

“You keep still, young Marshall, or I’ll wring 
your neck ! ” exclaimed Cleft, losing his temper 
entirely. 

But other and cooler bystanders took the matter 
up now. “ Don’t bully a pair of boys, Nat Cleft,” 
said one. “Take men of your size. If Gladden 
wants to fight Kansom, we’ll see fair play. But 
you are twice his age and ought to know better. 
Drop it 1 ” 

“ There’s more spies than one in this organiza- 
tion ! ” declared Cleft, angrily. 

“ If you think so, then get out ! ” was the reply. 
“ Some of you fellows had better go, anyway. We 
don’t propose to have the National Rifles broken up 
by a few hot-headed men like you. I’m going to 
Colonel Stone myself to-morrow, and I’ll find out 
what he’s really got against us. You can call me a 
spy if you want to.” This was said by the man 
who had, earlier in the evening, spoken so sensibly 
to Joe about the situation, and he was a person of 
acknowledged influence. 

Joe and Tom left the group. But before they 
could get out of the armory Cleft found them. 
“ You’re pretty sharp. Ransom,” he said, with an 
ugly smile. “But I’ll show you up yet.” Joe, 
however, paid no attention and drew the angry 
Tom away with him. “ I’m for peace,” he said ; 
175 


"The Eve ^ War 


“ peace unless we have a better reason for fighting 
than we have now. And I do not believe it is 
right for any company of volunteer militia to ac- 
cept arms and ammunition from a Government 
with which to fight against that Government ! 
That is arrant treachery. If the South is deter- 
mined to break away from the North, let her do 
so openly and above board. Those plans that 
Captain Schaeffer had under way were wrong.” 

“ Why, all’s fair in war.” 

“ Then you admit it’s war.” 

“ War to the knife, I fear, old man,” said young 
Marshall, shaking his head. “ And I hope we’ll be 
on the right side, Joe.” 

“ I fervently hope so ! ” cried Joe. “ But now 
that your company is broken up, do get away from 
Philip Chesney and his friends and keep quiet 
until we see which way the toad is going to 
hop.” 

“Oh, I can’t keep still, Joe. That’s impossible. 
These Yankees must not be allowed to come down 
here and coerce the South. Maryland is a south- 
ern State and we must hold the district. Why, 
they say that when Lincoln comes to be inaugu- 
rated he’ll bring an armed mob of Western 
Hoosiers and Yankee pedlars with him. They’ll 
overrun the city.” 

“ Pooh ! ” said Joe. 

“ It’s so. I have it on good authority. Lots of 
176 


The Eve ^ War 


Southern sympathizers live in New York and they 
send us news.” 

“ Who is ‘ us ’ ? ” queried his friend. 

Tom hesitated. “Well, I’d better not tell you 
that. They’re men of some importance just the 
same, Joe.” 

“ And if you keep on with them you’ll get into 
trouble.” 

“ Oh, well, don’t croak ! ” and Tom forced a 
laugh. “I’m going away pretty soon, anyway. 
Don’t row with me, old man.” 

“ Going to leave Washington — you ? ” 

“ Only for a few days. But I may be called 

Well ! I can’t tell you about that, Joe.” 

“ I don’t want you to tell me any secrets,” said 
his friend, sadly. “ But I do beg of you to be care- 
ful. And I would not go South if I were you 
while this controversy is on.” 

“ Oh, I shan’t go South,” returned Tom, airily. 
“ I’ll go nearer the Susquehanna, if anything,” and 
with this mysterious statement he left Joe at his 
own gate. Young Hansom turned the recent con- 
versation over in his mind with the feeling that 
Tom Marshall was surely making dangerous 
friends, and he determined to keep in his chum’s 
company as much as possible. But news which 
Mercury brought up with his breakfast the next 
morning made Joe postpone the early call upon 
Tom which he had planned over night. 

177 


The Eve of TldiX 


“ Golly, ain’t I glad ! ” exclaimed the black boy, 
dancing about Joe’s room the moment he had de- 
posited the breakfast tray. 

“ What’s up this morning, Merc ? ” queried his 
young master. 

“ Mars’ Philip Chesney’s gwine erway, laik ah 
tol’ yer, Mars’ Joe. ’Deed he is ! ” 

‘‘ When ? ” 

“ Ter-day, sah. Miss Dollie done gwine ter pack 
he’s bag. I axed her where he was gwine an’ she 
tol’ me ter mine ma manners an’ not arsk questions ; 
so I knowed he’s gwine ter Bawlt’more, laik ah tol’ 
yer yisterday.” 

“ You don’t know what time he is going, do 
you ? ” 

“ Not till arter lunch, sah. He said he’d be yere 
den.” 

“ Well,” was Joe’s comment, “ I reckon we can get 
along without him ; we’ll try, anyway.” He hur- 
ried his breakfast, for the Inspector-General should 
know of this move of Philip’s as soon as possible. 

“ Ah hopes he don’ nebber come back no mo’ ! ” 
declared Mercury. “ Den mebbe dis yere fam’bly’ll 
settle down laik as dey was. Now de ol’ Majah’s 
done gwine ter git well, we don’ want him yere.” 

Joe sent him to tell Luke to saddle Sultan imme- 
diately after breakfast, and after his usual morning 
visit to the sick-room, he left for Washington. 
The newsboys were crying an extra edition of the 
178 


The Eve War 


papers as he drew near the War Department of- 
fices, so Joe bought one. Louisiana and Texas 
having adopted the ordinance of secession, much 
Federal property in the Creole and Lone Star States 
had been seized. The Southern forces were active 
in many quarters, while the North seemed at a 
standstill. What could Buchanan be thinking of to 
remain idle while the property of the Govern- 
ment was being diverted for the use of the 
insurgent party ? The boy’s blood boiled, and 
when he entered Colonel Stone’s office he was in a 
mood to appreciate that gentleman’s disgust over 
an utterly unlooked for incident which had just 
come to his notice. 

Colonel Stone’s stern face was more ruddy than 
was its wont. He was a remarkably fine looking 
man, with a soldierly figure, a wealth of hair which 
touched his collar and was parted low on the left 
side, a heavy dark mustache and imperial, and clear 
penetrating eyes. Joe had seldom observed him 
under the control of his temper, and that his indig- 
nation now mastered him it was easy to see. He 
was leaving his desk, with his hat and cloak on, 
when the boy entered the office. “Want me. Ran- 
som ? ” he asked, briefly. 

“ I rode over to speak to you — yes, sir.” 

“ Come along with me, then. You can tell me 
what you wish to on the way. I’m going to Mr. 
Holt’s office.” But he did not give Joe a chance to 
179 


“The Eve of 


report. He was full of the thing which had so dis- 
turbed him, and it came out as they walked along. 
“ This is a pretty how-de-do ! ” he exclaimed. “ If 
ever a man had reason for disgust, I have. You 
know I told you I had sent invitations to several 
gentlemen for them to raise companies of volun- 
teers ? Thirty have responded so far and the com- 
panies are being drilled every night, and some of 
them are sufficiently advanced to receive arms. I 
began to approve the requisitions for arms this 
morning, and what do you suppose has happened ? ” 

“ I — I haven’t the least idea,” murmured Joe. 

“Why, sir, the captains who received the first 
requisitions came back to me and stated that the 
Ordnance Department had refused to issue any 
arms ! I sent over to ask what it meant and the 
Chief of Ordnance informs me that he has just re- 
ceived an order not to issue any arms to the District 
of Columbia troops, and that this order came from 
the President. What do you think of that ? Isn’t 
it abominable — abominable ? ” 

“ I reckon our friends, the enemy, don’t mean us 
to have any arms if they can’t get them,” suggested 
Joe, slyly. 

“Well, sir. I’ll show them that I’m not to be 
trifled with ! ” observed the wrathful Inspector- 
General. 

The new Secretary of War, Joseph Holt, was a 
far different man from John B. Floyd who had de- 
i8o 


T'he Eve ^ War 


serted his post after the secession of South Car- 
olina. And instead of being a Southerner proper, 
Mr. Holt came from one of the border states — Ken- 
tucky. A stern man was he, with gray hair, care- 
lessly arranged, smoothly shaven face upon which 
lines of firmness were indelibly graved, deeply set 
eyes and a long, straight nose. He was a man not 
given to much speech, never showing his emotions in 
his general expression, which was, as usual, rather 
grim. Colonel Stone and his young companion 
were admitted to the Secretary’s private office al- 
most immediately. 

“Well, Colonel Stone?” was the Secretary’s 
greeting. Instantly the angry Inspector-General 
overflowed. He stated the situation with a pic- 
turesqueness of language of which Joe had not be- 
lieved him capable. 

“ I tell you, sir, I’m not disposed to be engaged 
in child’s play ! ” concluded Stone. “ I’m not going 
to spend my time organizing troops which cannot 
be armed. If this order isn’t revoked — and revoked 
instantly — I’m no use in my place and I shall resign 
at once. I’m not to be treated so cavalierly by this 
Administration ! ” 

The old gentleman looked him through and 
through before replying, and his face scarcely 
changed its expression. Finally a grim smile curled 
the corners of his shaven lips. “You are not only 
right, Colonel Stone, but unless the order is re- 
181 


T^he Eve of '^2 lX 


yoked, sir, I will say there is no use in my holding 
my place any longer, either ! Go to the President 
and talk to him as you have to me.” 

“Very well, sir!” replied the Colonel, saluting, 
and turning on his heel left the office, Joe still trail- 
ing him. 

“No use — you can’t talk to me now, young man,” 
exclaimed Stone, as the boy tried to bring forward 
the subject of his own visit during the long walk 
to the White House. “ This matter must be settled 
first. If the order is not revoked, then I shall not 
need to hear your report at all.” 

The Colonel and his young aide were called into 
the President’s presence without much formality. 
Mr. Buchanan was sitting at his writing table, in 
his dressing gown, looking terribly wearied and 
worried. The silver hair above his high white 
brow was much rumpled, and the anxious expres- 
sion on his kind, gentle face was almost pitiful. It 
was plain to see that the old man was tried much 
beyond his strength. 

“ Sit down. Colonel Stone,” said the President, 
mildly. “ Be brief with your errand, please.” 

And the Colonel was brief enough. He opened 
the matter at once and stated the necessity of an 
immediate issue of arms, as the refusal would not 
only stop the instruction of the volunteers, which 
they sadly needed, but would make them lose all 
confidence in the Government and break up the or- 
182 


’The Eve of Vh2ir 


ganizations. And God only knows, sir, how soon 
we may need these men to defend the Government’s 
very existence, as well as its property. I beg your 
pardon for seeming to olffer a threat, Mr. President,” 
pursued the anxious olRcer, “ but if you decline to 
revoke this order, I must ask you to accept my 
resignation at once.” 

“ But, Colonel, I gave that order acting on the 
advice of the District Attorney, Mr. Kobert Quid,” 
said the President, in much distress of mind. 

“Then, sir, the District Attorney has advised 
your Excellency very badly.” 

“ Why, sir, the District Attorney is an old resi- 
dent of Washington, and he knows all the little 
jealousies which exist here. He tells me that you 
have organized a company from the Northern 
Liberty Fire Company.” 

“Hot only one, but two excellent companies in 
the northern Liberty, Mr. President.” 

“ And then he tells me that you have organized 
another company from among the members of the 
Lafayette Hose Company.” 

“Yes, your Excellency, another excellent com- 
pany.” 

“And the District Attorney tells me. Colonel, 
that there is a strong feeling of enmity between 
those fire companies, and, if arms are put in their 
hands, there will be danger of bloodshed in the 
city.” 


183 


The Eve ^ War 


Colonel Stone drew a long breath and, leaning 
forward in his chair laid an emphatic fist upon the 
President’s desk. “Will your Excellency excuse 
me,” he said, “ if I tell you that the District At- 
torney talks nonsense — or — worse, to you ? If the 
Northern Liberties and the Lafayette Hose men 
wish to fight, can they not procure hundreds of 
arms in the shops along the avenue ? Be assured, 
Mr. President, that the people of the district are 
thinking now of other things than old ward feuds. 
They are thinking whether or not the Government 
of the United States is to allow itself to crumble 
out of existence by its own weakness. And I be- 
lieve that the District Attorney knows that as well 
as I do. If the companies of volunteers are not 
armed, they will disband, and the Government will 
have nothing to protect it in case of even a little 
disturbance. Is it not better for the public peace, 
your Excellency, even if the bloody feud exists 
(which I believe is forgotten in a greater question) 
— is it not better to have these men organized and 
under the discipline of the Government ? ” 

The President had listened anxiously and now, 
after a moment’s hesitation, he said: “I don’t 
know that you are not right. Colonel ; but you must 
take the responsibility that no bloodshed results 
from arming these men.” 

“ I willingly accept that responsibility, sir ! ” ex- 
claimed the Colonel, rising. 

184 


The Eve of yj ax 


“The prohibitory order is revoked, then,” said 
the President, with a sigh, and writing out the 
order hastily he gave it into the officer’s own hand. 

“ Thank you, sir,” said Stone, and the interview 
was over. Outside he caught Joe by the shoulder 
and spoke impressively : “ My boy ! that poor man 

has more than he can bear. He is as little fit to 
hold his office under the present conditions as a 
babe ! And what will the next president be like ? 
Who can tell ? He is almost an unknown quan- 
tity.” 

“ You do not think Mr. Lincoln will be like Mr. 
Buchanan, do you ? ” asked the boy. 

“ No, no ! And during these past few days, since 
I have heard more about the ‘ rail splitter,’ I have 
gained some hope that he may be the Coming Man. 
But God alone knows, and time only will tell, what 
is before us, and what manner of man is behind the 
rather unpleasant mask of Mr. Lincoln’s exterior. 
He’s a mighty homely man, Joe ! ” and the gentle- 
man smiled. 

“ That opens the matter on which I came to see 
you,” said Joe, suddenly. “You remember what 
that Fernandina said about Mr. Lincoln’s never get- 
ting through Baltimore alive ? Well, Philip Ches- 
ney goes to Baltimore to-day.” 

“ When?” 

“ Some time after luncheon, sir.” 

“ All right, Kansom. He won’t go alone. I have 
185 


“The Eve War 


a man ready to trail him. You are a faithful 
assistant, young man.” 

During this dialogue they had bee'n hurrying to- 
ward the then unfinished Capitol and were now in 
sight of the steps where the President-elect always 
stands to take the oath of ofiice. Coming toward 
them was a man in a greatcoat and slouch hat 
whom the boy recognized with sudden trepidation. 
It was Nat Cleft, and for an instant Joe was 
tempted to turn and run. He had been so greatly 
interested by the incidents of the forenoon that he 
had entirely forgotten invidious comment might be 
raised were he seen with the Inspector-General. 
Indeed, Joe was so panic-stricken that Colonel 
Stone’s marked ease of manner failed to carry the 
affair off successfully. 

“ How are you. Cleft ? ” the officer said. “ Are 
you looking for me, too? Seems to me a good 
many of you National Kifles fellows are after me 
to-day. You’re the fourth I’ve seen.” 

“ That’s all very fine,” exclaimed Cleft, eyeing 
Joe’s flushed face shrewdly. “But I can see the 
puppy is running with the old hound.” 

The Colonel glanced from the perturbed Joe to 
Cleft’s evilly grinning face, and said, tartly : “ And 
on a sharp scent, too, Mr. Cleft — on a sharp scent 1 ” 

“Up here, I s’pose, to see where you expect to 
inaugurate your Abolitionist President, hey ? ” 

“ Certainly, sir.” 


186 


"The Eve of Wzr 


Cleft’s face suddenly flushed with rage. “ Lemme 
tell you,” he cried, “ that he’ll never take the oath 
here.” 

Stone looked him over coldly. “Mr. Lincoln,” 
he said, “ has been constitutionally elected Presi- 
dent of the United States. You may be sure that, 
if he lives till the fourth day of March, he will be 
inaugurated on those steps.” 

Cleft uttered an angry ejaculation and hurried 
on ; but for some moments the Inspector-General 
stood there, his glance taking in every foot of the 
Capitol front. Unknown to Joe, at that juncture, 
there had flashed into the mind of the man that 
from the windows in the two wings of the building, 
riflemen could command the steps in question. The 
inauguration platform would be excellently flanked 
by this means, and finally Colonel Stone nodded his 
head as though registering the thought in his mind, 
and turned away. 

“ He will take the oath of office there, if I am 
alive,” he said, gravely. 

“ That is, sir, if he ever reaches the city at all,” 
was the boy’s rejoinder. 

“ Pray God he does ! ” exclaimed the gentleman. 
“ For if he is killed — if the country is left without 
an Executive, for Mr. Buchanan cannot be called an 
able one — the Horth will be lost, and the Federal 
Government will go down into history as a failure 
among republics ! ” 

187 


CHAPTEK XII 


THE DISAPPEARANCE OF TOM 

It was not strange that Joe Kansom felt partic- 
ularly worried when he parted from the Inspector- 
General on the Capitol grounds. He knew that 
Hat Cleft was to be hoodwinked no longer, and he 
would be more active than before in denouncing 
him as a spy, having seen him in company with the 
man whom the Southerners considered their arch 
enemy. But once free from the Colonel, with his 
duty performed, it was to his chum Joe’s mind 
flew. He hurried to the stable and secured Sultan, 
and in a few minutes cantered up to the Marshalls’ 
door. He found Tom in his “den” cleaning his 
rifle, for he, like the members of Joe’s company, 
kept his gun and accoutrements at home. “ And I 
just feel sore, old man, to think how I foolishly 
gave up the right to wear the uniform of the Kifles 
for the sake of going with Prettyman,” grumbled 
Tom. “I’m always doing things I’m sorry for 
afterward. You never do that, old sober-sides ! ” 

“Ho. It’s the other way with me,” returned 
Joe, smiling reflectively. “ I’m always doing things 
for which I am sorry at first and then come to see 
were right after all ! ” 

1 88 


"The Eve War 


‘‘ What do you mean by that ? ” demanded Tom, 
looking at him curiously. 

But Joe only blushed and turned the question by 
remarking ; “ Say, old fellow, come over and stay 
with me to-night, will you ? ” 

“ Sure ! And what say for a fishing trip to-mor- 
row morning with that little darky of yours for a 
guide ? ” 

“Agreed!” returned Joe. “I feel that Major 
Chesney is so far on the road to recovery that I 
can allow myself a little fun. And goodness knows 
we need it badly enough, Tom. I haven’t really 
laughed — from my heart I mean — for weeks ! But, 
by the way,” as he remembered that Philip Chesney 
was going away, “how about the journey you 
mentioned last night, Tom ? ” 

Tom flushed, and stammered a little. “ Oh, that 
won’t come off yet,” he said. “I’ll be over to- 
night, sure.” 

So Joe rode home feeling that Tom was yet safe. 
He was not going to Baltimore with Philip, as the 
boy had feared. And he was glad to see the latter 
leave the house in the afternoon with his bag. 
This seemed to lift a cloud from the entire house- 
hold. The servants went about with faces broadly 
agrin ; it had been a cloudy morning, but the sun 
now burst forth and tried to peek in at as many 
windows of the great gray house as possible ; and 
Joe and Dollie, meeting by accident in the hall late 
189 


"The Eve of Wax 


in the afternoon, actually smiled on one another. 
Of late they had passed without speaking, the girl 
with her head in the air and Joe in a sheepish man- 
ner, for he felt her disapproval of him sadly. Now 
Dollie actually looked back over her shoulder and 
spoke to him. ‘‘ I shall tell mammy not to send 
your dinner up stairs to-night, Joe. You will eat 
with me. I hope the table is big enough.” 

“ All right, Dollie,” he returned very meekly. 

When he came into the long, rather dusky 
dining-room, which was illuminated only from the 
candelabrum upon either end of the mantel, and a 
huge one in the middle of the dining-table, he saw 
that, as Mercury had told him several days before, 
mammy had set a plate for him at the head of the 
table. Now Dollie, ever since she had arrived at 
the dignity of being her grandfather’s housekeeper, 
had occupied the foot of the table ; but Joe’s place 
was on the side. And the boy knew that Philip 
had not even been accorded the old Major’s position. 
Evidently Dollie had not noticed mammy’s latest 
determination to show whom she considered “ the 
head of the house,” and he caught the black woman’s 
eye before she could leave the room. 

“Don’t you intend me to eat anything, 
mammy?” he asked, pleasantly, standing behind 
his own chair. 

“Lawsy, Mars’ Joe, dar’s yo’ place.” Her finger 
pointed to the head of the table. 

190 


T'he Eve ^ War 


“ Remove those things instantly ! ” exclaimed the 
boy, hearing the rustle of Dollie’s gown in the hall. 
“ This is where I always sit.” 

“ But Mars’ Kirk done sayed yo’ was de marster 
ob dis house,” began Mammy Laura, grumb- 
lingly. 

“ Instantly ! ” repeated Joe, his eyes flashing. 

The old servant obeyed with very poor grace and 
had hardly relaid the table when Dollie reached her 
seat. She realized what had happened and her face 
flushed pink. Whenever Miss Dollie is kind 
enough to ask me to dine with her,” said Joe, 
sternly, but in a low tone, “remember that my 
place is here.” 

Mammy flounced out of the room with her head 
high and sent in Mercury to wait on the table. 
Dollie did not appear to notice the incident ; but it 
was some minutes before either of the diners 
recovered their composure. Dollie seemed deter- 
mined to make the meal pass off pleasantly, for 
she began to chatter brightly. 

“ Tom is coming over to stay the night with me,” 
Joe remarked, in the course of the meal. “ He can 
occupy the other bed in my room, can’t he ? ” 

“ I’ll see that it is made ready” Dollie returned. 
Then she added, with a little sidewise tilt of her 
head : “ Tom and you are chums, just the same, are 

you ? ” 

“Why not ? ” demanded Joe, stoutly.. 

191 


’The Eve of TJzx 


“ Oh, I didn’t know. You used to hold different 
opinions from his.” 

“And I do now about some things.” It was 
rather refreshing to speak out and say what he 
thought. “ I believe if there is war, and Tom 
goes one way and I another, we shall still be 
friends.” 

“ But you don’t expect to do that, do you ? ” 
cried Dollie. “ You are drilling almost every night 

with the National Kifles ” 

“ The National Kifles is a military organization 
formed in the first place to uphold the existing 
Government. It is armed with rifles from the 
Federal Bureau of Ordnance, and its captain’s com- 
mission is signed by the President of the United 
States. It is distinctly a Federal company, and 
will serve the Government, I have no doubt, should 
the occasion arise. And the tenor of the company 
has changed since I joined. Didn’t you hear that 
Captain Schaeffer was no longer its commander ? 
Even dear old Tom is not in it now. The fire- 
eaters have mostly left,” and he smiled quietly. 

But Dollie’s eyes had begun to sparkle ominously. 
“ I just knew you had not changed your opinions, 
Joe Ransom ! ” 

“ Not in the least.” 

“ I told Paul Gladden ” 

“ I know what you must have told Paul. But it 
did no harm. He tried to get me into trouble by 
192 


“The Eve ^ War 


repeating it in the armory ; but by that time the 
disaffected men were in the minority — or, at least, 
they were weakened by Captain Schaeffer’s loss of 
office. So what might have been a bad thing a 
little earlier, turned out not so serious after all.” 

“ And he went right fi'om here and told ? ” she 
gasped. 

“ Oh, no. I fancy he whispered your bad 
opinion of me around to the other members of 
the company for several days first,” Joe said, 
calmly. “ Then old Tom made him come out with 
his charges.” 

“ And what did you do ? ” she demanded. 

“Why, I — I ” Joe stammered then and 

flushed up red enough. He remembered how 
angry Dollie had been with him once before when 
he had chastised Paul Gladden. 

“ Did you tell them it wasn’t so ? ” she cried, her 
eyes flashing. 

“ Oh, I didn’t have to either affirm or deny any- 
thing. I simply boxed Paul’s ears,” said Joe, his 
eyes on his plate. 

“ Oh ! ” Then she was silent a minute, and when 
he dared look up he saw that there were tears in 
her eyes. “I— I might have got you into awful 
trouble by telling that fellow what I did ! ” 

“Pooh!” Joe returned, soothingly. “Nothing 
came of it. Nat Cleft was rather ugly. But he 
couldn’t do anything alone. If there are no worse 

193 


The Eve ^ War 


rows in town, we’ll get along all right. Once get 
this new President inaugurated and people will 
settle down and show some sense.” 

“Joe!” exclaimed the girl, “do you really be- 
lieve he will ever be inaugurated ? ” 

“Well, I know a few people who seem prett}^ 
determined that he shall be. I guess I wouldn’t 
worry about that, if I were you, Dollie.” Yet at 
the same moment the thought of Philip Chesney 
flashed into his mind. What had the man gone to 
Baltimore for ? Joe would have given a good deal 
to know ! 

A little later, however, he began to worry about 
something else. Tom Marshall did not come, nor 
did he send any message. Seven o’clock, then eight, 
passed, and no Tom. His chum had promised so 
positively to spend the night with him that there 
was good reason for Joe to fear that something un- 
toward had happened. Finally he went out and sad- 
dled the horse and rode over to the Marshall place. 
There was a long row of trees upon the side of the 
street on which Tom’s house stood, and although 
their branches were now bare, they cast some con- 
siderable shadow upon the walk, so that, when 
Sultan shied and snorted vigorously just before 
reaching the Marshalls’ gate, it was a moment be- 
fore Joe, holding in the horse with a firm hand, saw 
what had caused his fright. 

A slight figure, dressed all in white, stood waver- 
194 


The Eve of "WaLt 


ingly by the gate-post. Instantly the boy recog- 
nized Amy Marshall, Tom’s sister. She had evi- 
dently run out of the house with only a white wrap, 
or cloud ” as the ladies called them then, over her 
head. “ What is the matter, Amy ? ” he asked, 
bending from his saddle the better to see her face. 

“ Oh, Joe Eansom ! Is that you ? Then he’s all 
right ? ” 

“ Who’s all right ? ” 

“ Tom.” 

“ Of course ! ” cried the boy. “ What under the 
sun would be the matter with him ? ” 

The girl was leaning weakly against the post now 
and suddenly burst into sobs. Joe was out of the 
saddle in a moment and hooking his arm through 
Sultan’s rein, stepped quickly to her side. “ Tell me 
what it is ? ” he cried. “ What has frightened you ? 

I just rode over because Tom ” 

“ Oh, how foolish lam!” the girl said, trying to 
smother her sobs. “ Of course he remembered 
that he left his little bag with his toilet articles and 
night-shirt in it, and you have ridden over after it ? 
But that man frightened me so ! ” 

“ What man ? ” demanded Joe. “ See here, Amy, 
you’d better tell me all about it. What is the 
matter? You and old Tom haven’t had a spat, 
have you, like Dollie and me ? ” 

He drew her away from the gate and lifted her 
chin so that he could see her tear- wet face. “ Oh, 

195 


The Eve ^ War 


Joe, Joe!” she exclaimed, putting her hands on 
both his shoulders suddenly, “ I have been so wor- 
ried lately.” 

“ What about, Amy ? ” 

“ About Tom. I know it is wicked. I ought to 
be glad that my brother is so active in such a sacred 
cause as this he supports. I hope I am a true 
Southern girl. But Tom is all we have — mother 
and I. The other boys are so young, and now that 
father is dead we have nobody to lean upon but dear 
Tom. And lately ” 

“Well?” said Joe, encouragingly. 

“ Oh, he has been so much away from home, and 
— and there is something on his mind that worries 
him, Joe. What is it ? ” 

“Bless your heart, Amy, I don’t know. He’s 
out to drill, of course.” 

“It’s not that. I know well enough when the 
poor boy is troubled. And that man to-night ” 

“What man?” demanded Joe, much disturbed 
himself but striving not to show it before the girl 
whose nerves were plainly overwrought. 

“ It was a man named Cleft, I think. Mr. Na- 
thaniel Cleft. I have seen him once or twice be- 
fore, and Tom told me his name. I am afraid of 
that man ! ” she dropped her voice to whisper as 
she said this and glanced quickly around. “ He has a 
wicked eye, and he means no good by Tom, I fear.” 

“I know whom you mean,” Joe said, “and al- 
196 


The Eve ^ War 


though I do not like the fellow, I doubt if he would 
do Tom an ill turn.” 

“ Oh, I believe he would. He came to the side 
door to-night; it was just after dinner, and Tom 
was getting ready to go to your house. Where did 
you leave him ? ” she asked suddenly. 

“ Go on, tell me about the man,” Joe said, 
hurriedly. 

“I heard what he said to Tom; he spoke as 
though he were threatening. ‘ You’ve got to go 
now,’ I heard him say. ‘ There isn’t a minute to 
lose. If you wait, you’ll miss the train.’ ” 

Ah ! ” exclaimed J oe. “ And what did Tom 
say ? ” 

“ He seemed to hesitate. ‘ I’ve promised to spend 
the night with a friend,’ he said, meaning you, of 
course, Joe. ‘Do you refuse?’ says the man, and 
he spoke as though he were angry. Then Tom 
muttered something I could not catch, and Cleft 
said : ‘ Thirty-one and a half Albemarle — within a 
stone’s throw of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and 
Baltimore station.’ How, Joe, what could he have 
meant by that ? ” 

“ What followed ? ” queried her friend, without 
replying. 

“ Then Tom went right out with him, and never 
came back for his bag. I was waiting with it in 
the hall, and I was just going to ask him what it all 
meant. But he did not come back.” Then she 
197 


T'he Eve War 

added, quickly : “ i’ll go and get the bag for you 

now.” 

‘‘Of course!” said Joe, heartily. He did not 
propose to tell her then that Tom was not at Ches- 
ney House. First he wanted to learn what had 
become of his chum. When Amy returned with 
the bag Joe was again in the saddle. “ All right, 
Amy,” he cried, taking the article from her hand. 
“ Tom’ll be all right. I— I’ll try to get him to tell 
me what he’s mixed up in. It can’t be anything 
very bad, of course ! ” 

“ You don’t think so, Joe ? ” 

“ Of course not ! What would old Tom do that 
was really bad ? ” demanded the boy, loyally. 

“I don’t know, Joe. But he isn’t steady and 
cautious like you. I wish he were.” 

“ Huh ! you wouldn’t have him a bit different, 
you know you wouldn’t! Tom’ll come out all 
right,” and he pulled Sultan around and set off as 
though for home, being determined that the girl 
should really think that he had ridden over after 
Tom’s bag. But once at the end of the street he 
turned his horse’s head toward the distant railway 
station and gave him the rein. Philip had gone to 
Baltimore, and now, in a most mysterious manner, 
Tom had left home, too. 

Joe knew very well that there was no Albemarle 
street in Georgetown, or in Washington, and the 
remark about the Philadelphia, Wilmington and 
198 


T'he Eve ^ War 


Baltimore station surely referred to Baltimore. 
Tom was going to that city. He had been sent 
for, perhaps by Philip Chesney. And the address 
given him was the rendezvous. It did not take Joe 
long to arrive at these conclusions, and he had a 
well-defined object in view when he set out for the 
railroad station. He was bent upon learning what 
train had gone out about that time, and if it was a 
through train to Baltimore, or would be diverted 
at Annapolis Junction for Chesapeake Bay, or at 
the Kelay House to the Baltimore & Ohio tracks, 
running west. He wished to assure himself that 
Tom really had gone to Baltimore. 

It was well along toward ten o’clock when Joe 
arrived at the station. At that hour there were 
few people about; but the ticket office was still 
open and Joe hurried in and pumped what informa- 
tion he could from the clerk. A train for Balti- 
more had left at 7 : 30 — ^just about the hour Tom 
would have arrived at the station. There had 
been a good many passengers that evening, and the 
clerk could not remember selling a ticket to a per- 
son of Tom’s description. So the boy interviewed 
ill most every employee about the place. One man 
thought he had seen young Mr. Marshall, whom he 
Icnew, hurrying across the platform just before the 
7 : 30 train had gone. He remembered that he 
came in from the side door, not from the direction 
of the ticket office. 


199 


The Eve ^ War 


“He wouldn’t likely buy a ticket,” muttered 
Joe, thinking it over. “ It was probably bought 
for him by Cleft.” Then he went back to the 
ticket window and asked about the next train to 
the North. At midnight there was a combina- 
tion train; Tom had gone to Baltimore, and Joe 
determined to keep his chum from doing any- 
thing that would get him into trouble with the 
Government. 

Joe had but little money with him and he could 
not ride home for more, as Sultan was sadly blown. 
He remembered that there was a trustworthy 
black boy at the livery stable near Colonel Stone’s 
house — the one whom the Colonel had once sent 

« 

to him with a note — and that boy could ride Sul- 
tan to Chesney House, wake up Uncle Luke, and 
tell that functionary that he would not be home 
that night. Dollie, knowing that Joe had gone to 
hunt up Tom Marshall, would think he had re- 
mained at his chum’s house ; while the Marshalls 
would believe Tom was safe with Joe. “ A mighty 
good idea ! ” thought the boy, and he swung him- 
self into the saddle again and urged his mount 
toward the stable in question. 

But the thought of Colonel Stone had given Joe 
a second idea. As soon as he had found his mes- 
senger and impressed upon him what he wished done, 
and even seen him set off with Sultan and Tom’s 
bag for Chesney House, Joe turned quickly in the 
200 


rhe Eve of War 


direction of the Colonel’s residence. It was very 
late, but he knew that gentleman to be a hard 
working official and he might yet be engaged in his 
study. And he was not mistaken ; there was a 
light there when Joe reached the house. A sleepy 
servant answered the boy’s knock, but was evi- 
dently so used to seeing visitors at all hours of the 
day and night that he admitted Joe without ques- 
tion and yawningly showed him the study door. 

“ Come in ! ” exclaimed the Colonel’s voice when 
Joe rapped, and the boy hastened to obey, and 
wasted no time in explaining his errand. 

“ Dear, dear ! I’m sorry young Marshall is mixed 
up in this thing,” said Colonel Stone, reflectively. 
“ I knew his father — a most estimable man. And 
his mother should be saved the disgrace which will 
surely follow if Tom continues to be hoodwinked 
by this Chesney and the others. What do you 
propose to do, Kansom ? ” 

“ I’m going after him, and I’ve come to ask you 
to lend me twenty dollars.” 

“ I don’t know,” murmured the Colonel. “ This 
may be a dangerous errand you are going on, Joe. 
These men are very much in earnest, I believe. 
And a large proportion of the city of Baltimore is 
determined that Lincoln shall never reach Wash- 
ington alive. Even the Chief of Police, George P. 
Kane, is believed to be in sympathy with the con- 
spirators. At least, so my detectives there tell me.” 

201 


The Eve ^ War 


“ But who else is there to go ? ” cried Joe, wildly. 
‘‘ Tom will listen to me. I know he will. He has 
been drawn into this without realizing what it 
means. I know how bad a man Philip Chesney is, 
Colonel Stone. He has gotten Tom Marshall 
mixed up in this plot, and he will ruin him — ruin 
him ! 

Joe was almost in tears. “ Well, well, Kansom, 
I’ll let you go. Here’s the money. And I’ll tele- 
graph to a man in Baltimore to have an eye on 
you. I don’t want any harm to come to you from 
this recklessness, though you’re a pretty level- 
headed young fellow. . . . Ah ! whom have 

we here ? ” The door had opened and the sleepy 
servant advanced with a card which he handed to 
Colonel Stone. The latter looked at it, reading 
aloud the name engraved thereon : “ ‘ Mr. Leonard 
Swett.’” Then he turned the pasteboard over. 
“What’s this?” he ejaculated. “General Scott’s 
handwriting! ‘Colonel Stone, Inspector General, 
may converse freely with Mr. Swett.’ . . . 

Show the gentleman in.” 

Joe had risen from his seat, prepared to depart, 
for the Colonel had already counted out upon the 
desk the money he had requested. As the boy 
gathered the bills together he looked up at the 
sound of a firm step on the doorsill. There stood a 
tall man of marked features, whose face and figure 
once seen, could not easily be forgotten. And at 
202 


The Eve War 


first glance the boy dropped the money with a gasp 
and fell back a step, casting a questioning look at 
Colonel Stone. That gentleman was evidently 
quite as astonished as Joe himself, and he stared at 
his visitor fully a minute without speaking. 

Joe had seen several of the campaign portraits of 
the “ rail-splitter ” President-elect, Abraham Lin- 
coln, and this man’s great height corresponded with 
that attributed to the new Chief Magistrate. Both 
Joe and the Colonel continued to gaze wonderingly 
upon the black-frocked stranger, who stalked into 
the room, while the servant softly closed the door 
behind him. 


203 


CHAPTEK XIII 


“ THIRTY-ONE AND A HALF ALBEMARLE ” 

“Colonel Charles P. Stone, I believe?” was 
the question of the visitor as he approached the In- 
spector-General, and a curious little smile hovered 
about his lips as he noted the open astonishment 
upon the faces of Stone and Joe. “ You have my 
card in your hand, and in explanation I would say 
that I am directly from Springfield and have come 
to see the real state of affairs in Washington. I 
have not been long in town. Colonel Stone ; but 
long enough to have some converse with General 
Scott. I was ignorant — utterly ignorant — of the 
vast amount of careful work done here this winter 
by General Scott and yourself, to insure the ex- 
istence of the Government and to render certain 
and safe the inauguration of Mr. — er — Lincoln. 
He will be very grateful to both of you gentlemen.” 

Colonel Stone stood very straight and soldierly 
before his visitor, as he replied. “ Mr. Lincoln has 
no cause to be grateful to me. I was opposed to 
his election, and believed in advance that it would 
bring on what is evidently coming, a fearful war. 
The work which I have done has not been done for 
him, and he need feel under no obligations to me. I 
204 


Ti’he Eve War 


have done my best toward saving the Government 
of the country and to insure the regular inaugura- 
tion of the constitutionally elected President on the 
fourth of next month.” 

The gentleman bowed reservedly and casting a 
sharp glance in the boy’s direction, said : “ Perhaps 
I am disturbing you, Colonel Stone ? ” 

The latter, thus reminded of Joe’s presence, 
turned to him at once. “ Now, Kansom, is there 
anything more I can do for you ? ” 

“ No, sir. I must hurry back to the station. 
Thank you for this kindness,” returned Joe, cram- 
ming the banknotes into his pocket. 

“ I will wire a man to keep near you. What was 
that number ? Thirty-one and a half Albemarle 
street? Yery well,” and the Colonel jotted it 
down. “ Good-night.” 

Thus dismissed, Joe departed very reluctantly. 
His last glance as he left the room was for the 
mysterious visitor. He knew, from the manner in 
which Colonel Stone had spoken, the officer was 
convinced that Mr. Lincoln was much nearer the 
Capitol steps, where only that morning he had de- 
clared to Cleft the President-elect should be inau- 
gurated, than either the latter’s friends, or the Bal- 
timore conspirators, suspected! Yet, how could it 
have been accomplished ? Joe was all at sea. It 
took several days to reach Washington from Spring- 
field, and only the day before he had read in the 
205 


"The Eve War 


paper the account of a reception tendered the newly 
elected Chief Magistrate in his Western home. 

Abraham Lincoln, upon whom the thoughts of 
the entire nation were then centred, to come 
quietly, and as a private citizen, from his home to 
the scene of his inauguration fully a month ahead 
of time? The idea was preposterous; 3^et in no 
other way could Joe explain the mystery of this 
visit to the Inspector-General. The visitor had 
traveled incognito, as witness the card he had sent 
in by the servant ; but was he not in grave peril 
every moment he remained unguarded ? 

And while he was sitting in Colonel Stone’s 
study, a band of Southern sympathizers were plot- 
ting his death in Baltimore ! If — if this were really 
Mr. Lincoln, had he not already escaped the very 
conspiracy which Joe had heard discussed by 
Philip Chesney and Fernandina in the stable? 
Was it not foolish, under these circumstances, for 
Joe to follow Tom Marshall ? Let the Baltimore- 
ans conspire ; were not their evil desires already 
balked? Joe halted within sight of the railway 
station, tempted to turn back. Then he shook him- 
self, exclaiming aloud : “ Impossible ! That can’t 
be Mr. Lincoln. Why, the papers are full of the 
plans for the inauguration journey.” His duty re- 
mained to search for Tom and urge him to return 
to Washington before he became entangled in the 
web of the Baltimore consjuracy. 

206 


The Eve ^ War 

When Joe purchased his ticket the train for Bal- 
timore was already made up and as quickly as pos- 
sible he found a seat. He did not wish to attract 
attention, for there might be people lingering about 
the station who would think it strange that he was 
leaving Washington for the north at that hour of 
the night. He did not care to foster any suspicion 
in which he might be held ; that would only balk 
his attempt to save Tom Marshall from the result 
of his own impetuosity. 

Mrs. Marshall was an invalid — had been such 
long before her husband died. Tom’s father had 
kept her by his loving forethought as far from all 
worry and care as possible. And Tom had been 
left this duty as some children receive legacies. It 
was a sacred responsibility and Joe knew that his 
chum was at heart devoted to his mother. But 
here, of late, had arisen a matter that had taken a 
firm grip upon Tom’s energetic nature. The prom- 
ise of war inspired the boy to take a deeper interest 
in public affairs than he did in his home ; and this 
neglect, J oe saw, had been noted by 'Amy, if not by 
the invalid herself. The sister doubtless had been 
worried for some time, but was too loyal to speak 
of it ; now, on this evening, her fears had mastered 
her. 

And if Tom is really mixed up with this same 
conspiracy that holds Philip Chesney’s attention, 
how ever shall I get him away ? It will be a fight 
207 


"The Eve War 


— it will be a fight between Chesney and me,” 
thought the boy, as the train rumbled on into the 
night. “ What can Tom be thinking of ? He isn’t 
a bad fellow. He cannot really understand that 
these men are planning to assassinate an inoffensive 
man on the altar of a political prejudice ! ” He 
could not make himself believe that Abraham Lin- 
coln was really in Washington. “ Suppose old 
Tom should give his promise, to play a part in this 
plot which may result in Mr. Lincoln’s death ? I 
know his honest heart ; when he awoke to what he 
had done his life would be wrecked, ruined ! He 
would never forgive himself.” 

It was a most disagreeable hour at which to 
arrive in the city when Joe left the train at Balti- 
more ; but he was grateful for the darkness vrhich 
hid him from observation. He hurried away from 
the station and approached Albemarle Street by a 
roundabout route. Once upon this thoroughfare, he 
was not long in locating number thirty -one and a 
half, a narrow frame house between brick struc- 
tures used, he judged, as warehouses. It was in a 
rather unsavory part of the town ; the few peo- 
ple he met seemed of the rougher class, and 
Joe drew away from them and watched each man, 
as he passed, warily. An attack by a highwayman 
in that locality and at that hour did not seem at 
all improbable. 

At first he had no idea what he should do, now 
208 


T'he Eve of 'Wax 


that he stood opposite thirty-one and a half Albe- 
marle Street. He was sleepy and hungry ; but by 
and by, as the street became livelier, he forgot to be 
either. He fixed his eyes upon the door of the 
frame house, hoping that Tom, or somebody whom 
he knew, would come forth and so prove to him 
that his quest was not in vain. 

It really looked a deserted as well as a dilapi- 
dated structure. Trucks backed up to the doors of 
the warehouses and men set to work handling 
goods. He was not the only lounger on the street 
and Joe quickly saw that his neighbors were wait- 
ing to help the truckmen or merchants as need 
arose ; so when a man offered him a chance to aid 
in the loading of a wagon, the boy accepted the 
offer with alacrity. He did not propose to attract 
suspicion by his inaction. Finally he noticed that 
a piece of white paper was pasted to the door-frame 
of the house in which he was so interested. When 
he had finished his job as roustabout, and had 
gravely received the “ two-bits ” the truckman 
offered him, Joe went over to see what the paper 
was. It had announced the fact that “furnished 
rooms ” were to let inside ; but the paper was now 
partly torn off. Nevertheless, seizing this as an ex- 
cuse, he rang the jangling bell and waited until a 
blear-eyed and decrepit old crone shufiled through 
the hall in answer to his summons. 

“I’m sorry, young man,” croaked she, when he 
209 


The Eve ^ War 


asked for rooms ; “ but they’se all took now. I let 
me first-flight-rear, the last one, yisterday arter- 
noon. Drat that gal ! Ef she’d took all that paper 
off’n the wall you wouldn’t ha’ been ringin’ of my 
bell now.” While she talked she began scraping 
away the remainder of the notice with her long 
finger-nail. Joe asked another question. “No, 
mister, I don’t expect to have another room b’fore 
th’ eend o’ the week. That one I got paid for a 
week in advance ; a man come an’ took it for his 
brother, a nice little feller he is, too ; come las’ 
night. You workin’ hereabout, I s’pose ? ” Joe as- 
sured her that he was, which was true enough, as 
the blisters on his palms attested. “Well, you 
come back in erbout a week. Mebbe I kin squeeze 
you in then.” 

But Joe had heard something he believed of value, 
and felt quite assured that Tom Marshall was stop- 
ping at the house. A room had been hired for him, 
perhaps by Philip Chesney as soon as he arrived in 
Baltimore the afternoon before, and Tom had come 
to it when he reached the city. So Joe returned to 
his station across the street and with his cap pulled 
over his eyes, sitting humped up in the sun, waited 
for an hour or two more. Then, to his delight, the 
door of the old house opened, and somebody came 
out. This individual glanced up and down the 
street before opening the door wide enough to pass 
through ; and, evidently seeing nothing suspicious, 
210 


The Eve of Wzv 


risked coming out on the walk and hurried away. 
Joe got down from the stoop on which he had been 
roosting and followed, keeping on the opposite side 
of the street ; he had found Tom Marshall. 

And it was not long before Joe was sure what his 
chum was about, and in his own mind figured out 
the situation of affairs. Tom had been instructed 
by Nat Cleft to go to the address on Albemarle 
Street, where a room was engaged for him. He 
was to remain there in the expectation of meeting 
somebody, or receiving some message ; but having 
neglected to provide himself with food, the boy was 
finally driven forth by his hunger, the house being 
merely a lodging place. Tom was now on the hunt 
for food ; but the nearest bakery was such a filthy 
looking place that Joe did not blame young Mar- 
shall for going no farther than the door. Finally 
the unconsciously shadowed boy arrived in a neigh- 
borhood of cheap restaurants and he entered one. 
Joe, thus reminded that he had eaten nothing 
since dinner the night before, tried a like place 
across the street, and from a table in its window 
watched the door of the eating-house Tom had 
chosen. 

While he ate, Joe evolved an idea that, to him, 
seemed good. He desired to talk with Tom before 
the boy went any farther in this mysterious business 
which had called him to Baltimore, and he knew 
better than to give his chum a chance to run from 

21 I 


T^he Eve War 


him. Tom would probably be both angry and 
frightened when he first learned that he had been 
followed from home and tracked to his present 
lodgings. Joe would have to come upon him sud- 
denly and in a way that would preclude any escape 
on Tom’s part. Therefore young Kansom hastily 
finished his meal and, without waiting for his chum 
to leave the other restaurant, hurried alone to thirty- 
one and a half Albemarle Street. 

Joe had noticed, when he talked with the old 
woman who kept the lodgings, that the door did not 
lock. All one had to do was to turn the knob and 
walk into the lower hall, and this Joe did, stepping 
in as briskly and nonchalantly as though he were a 
regular occupant of one of the rooms. If he met 
anybody in the hall, or on the stairway, his visit 
might be questioned; but Joe took that chance. 
And not until he was inside and softly mounting the 
darkened stairway did he think that perhaps the 
door of Tom’s room might be locked ; in fact, that 
expectation seemed the most reasonable. 

The house was old, however, and even the balus- 
trade on which his hand rested shook under his 
grasp. He might be able to force the door of the 
“ first-flight-rear,” as the old woman had called it ; 
only that would make a noise. So he went on in 
much doubt until he came to the door in question, 
and there his fears were dissipated. Not only was 
the door not locked, but it stood ajar. Tom had 
212 


T^he Eve of 'Wax 


nothing to lose, for he had brought nothing with 
him from Washington. While he was out the 
chambermaid had been in to make up the bed and, 
in leaving, had not latched the door again. Joe, 
delighted at this stroke of good fortune, slipped into 
the room without being observed. 

It was a good-sized apartment, but at once Joe 
noticed that only one window was in use. The 
wooden shutters inside two of the windows were 
closed and barred ; indeed, the old-fashioned cur- 
tained bedstead was against one of these casements. 
Tom must have spent anything but a jolly time in 
the sombre apartment all alone, for the remaining 
window allowed but little light to enter. There 
were two chairs, one being behind the door, and 
this one Joe chose at once. He could sit here and 
not be seen by any one entering the room until the 
door was closed again. 

It was already long past the noon hour and Joe, who 
had been able to sleep but little on the train, dozed in 
his chair while he waited Tom Marshall’s return. 
In truth, so dulled were his senses, that Tom came 
up the stairs, bounding into the room and closing 
the door ere Joe realized that anybody was present 
but himself. He awoke with a start ; Tom saw 
him, but not clearly, at the same time, and uttering 
a startled exclamation, tried to open the door again. 
Joe, however, stood before it; Tom leaped back 
and the next instant young Ransom had the pleas- 

213 


The Eve of Tlzx 


ure of staring an enormous revolver, of the bulldog 
pattern, out of countenance. For a moment he was 
speechless with amazement and fear ; the muzzle of 
that weapon looked as big as a railroad tunnel. 

“ For mercy sake ! ” gasped Joe, at last. “ What 
are you doing ? ’’ 

“Joe!” yelled Marshall, staggering back. Then 
he flung the pistol down on the bed and sprang to 
seize his chum’s hand. “ How came you here ? 
Why didn’t I know you were coming? They — 
they haven’t sent you ? ” 

“Don’t make any mistake, old man,” Joe re- 
turned, still standing before the door. “ I’m not 
one of your new friends.” 

“You’re an old friend, Joe. Why do you look 
at me so strangely? Come away from the door.” 

“I will,” Joe replied to the last request. There 
was a key in the lock on the inside, and turning 
this so as to bolt the door, he slipped the key into 
his pocket and took his seat again. 

“ What did you do that for ? ” demanded Tom, 
in some excitement. 

“ So as to be sure that you remain here while I 
talk to you,” returned Joe, coolly. 

“ Come, old man ! you are not going to try to 
make me mad ? ” 

“You’re mad enough now — crazy! — insane!” 
cried Hansom. “ Why under the sun did you allow 
yourself to get mixed up in this business ? ” 

214 


The Eve of TJzx 


“ You ask me why I am interested in the South, 
and you a Southerner ? ’’ 

“ I may be a Southerner ; but I’m not a mad- 
man. You don’t understand the depths of wicked- 
ness into which these men — Cleft, and Chesney, and 
their ilk — would plunge you. I tell you, Tom, they 
mean murder ! ” 

“ Who — who told you so ? ” gasped his chum. 

“ I know that they have it in their hearts to kill 
Abraham Lincoln if — if he passes through this city 
of Baltimore. What do you suppose you were or- 
dered to come here for ? ” 

“ I don’t know yet,” admitted Tom. “ Cleft told 
me I was wanted. I was instructed to ask for the 
room here that my brother hired for me. But — 
why, I ought not to tell you this, Joe ! ” 

“ You’d better tell somebody who has a little 
sense,” growled Joe. ‘‘ Didn’t I warn you to look 
out for Chesney ? ” 

“ You don’t know anything about it ! I — I had 
to come,” Tom said, almost in a whisper, and 
dropped his gaze to the floor. 

“ You’ve got mixed up with these fellows and 
you think you can’t break away. Old man, you 
must find a way out of it ! You are in terrible 
1 danger ” 

“ How do you know so much ? ” demanded the 
other, still without looking at him. 

“ It doesn’t matter how I know. I wouldn’t 
215 


The Eve ^ War 


have followed you ’way here if there wasn’t good 
reason for it. I know you do not realize your po- 
sition. You are mixed up with a gang of men who 
will hesitate at no crime — none I tell you ! They 
are not true Southerners ; they are assassins ! ” 

“ I don’t — I can’t believe you, Joe.” 

“Well, suppose you are ordered to shoot an in- 
nocent and inoffensive man, whose only crime is 
that more of the people of these United States wish 
him to be President than any other man ? And 
you’re all being fooled at that — I hope ! ” he added, 
his mind reverting to Colonel Stone’s strange visitor. 

“ You still stick to that assassination plot! ” said 
Tom. “ I came to attend a meeting. It is a secret 
meeting and I don’t even know where it is to be 
held ” 

“ Nor what it’s for,” interrupted Joe. 

“ Well, if I do, I’m not going to tell you. I ex- 
pect somebody to come here by and by to take me 
to the place where the meeting is to be held.” 

“ Well, you’re going to cut all this now and go 
back home with me.” 

“ Why, I can’t I ” cried Tom. “ I’ve given my 
word — Pm bound in honor ” 

“ Then you’ll probably be the only honorable one 
mixed up in it. Haven’t you any thought for your 
mother and sister ? What will they do when they 
find you’re out of the city ? I hope they believe 
you at Chesney House yet.” 

216 


T'he Eve ^ War 


“ Be sensible, Joe. I can’t leave here. I must 
vrait for this man. I’ll make him tell me what I’m 
wanted for before I go with him. But you must go 
away, Joe. Honestly, you’d get into trouble if 
they found you here.” 

“ They’d be likely to kill me ; I know that,” Joe 
returned. 

“ Don’t ! how can you speak so ? ” 

“Because I want to impress on your mind the 
sort of men you’re training with. Come back with 
me, Tom ! Do, do ! ” 

“ I can’t do it, old man. After this meet- 
ing ” 

“ You’ll then be so entangled that you can’t 
break away. Don’t you see your own danger, 
Tom ? ” 

“ But how do you come to know so much ? ” 
queried his chum, doubtfully. 

“ Let me tell you ! ” and Joe forgetting his cau- 
tion in his eagerness to save his friend from what 
he felt to be ruin, told of overhearing the conver- 
sation between Philip Chesney and the Balti- 
morean, Fernandina, in the stable and of the fact 
that a well-defined plot was known to exist for the 
assassination of the President-elect. Tom listened, 
sitting on the edge of the bed with the curtains 
wrapped about him, for there was no fire in the 
room and it was cold. “ These are the sort of men 
you are mixed up with,” pursued Joe. “A nice 
217 


T^he Eve of 'Wax 


crowd for a gentleman’s son to train among ! And 
you are obeying them blindly.” 

“ I want to know if Philip Chesney isn’t a gen- 
tleman’s son ? ’’ growled Tom. 

“ Yes — the son of the bravest gentleman I know. 
But he’s gone wrong ; he went wrong years and 
years ago. Some folk think it mighty harsh of the 
Major to turn him out as he did ; but he had good 
reason for doing so. You know that he forged 
Major Chesney’s name and gambled away the 
money. It took a big slice of the estate to settle 
that business. But there was something else, too. 
Philip’s conduct helped to kill his mother ; the 
Major told me so himself. It was a long while ago, 
when I got mad once with Uncle Luke, and kicked 
him. The dear old Major warned me then against 
losing control of my temper. Can you imagine a 
fellow’s raising his hand to his own mother — yes, 
actually striking her ? Well, Tom, that’s the sort 
of a boy Philip Chesney was ! And I do not be- 
lieve his life since he left his father’s house has 
improved him any.” 

“ Well, but, it isn’t the men, it’s the principle ! ” 
exclaimed Tom, at last. 

“ Old man,” Joe replied, sorrowfully, “ if other 
States follow those already out of the Union, and a 
Confederation is formed, as some people expect, and 
there is war, I suppose you’ll fight on the side that 
has your approval. I know I shall. But what 
218 


The Eve of YJ2iT 


would you think of me if I joined a party of scoun- 
drels sworn to kill some one of our Southern states- 
men ? And I tell you that these men you are with 
desire the life of Abraham Lincoln.” 

“Well, he’s an Abolitionist,” said Tom. 

“ And does that make him less a human being ? 
Are there no people worthy of being allowed to 
live but slave-owners and slave-drivers ? ” 

“You talk strangely, Joe,” Tom declared. “ Do 
you believe this man Lincoln should be allowed to 
be President ? Why, he’ll ruin the South ! He 
and his friends will drive every Southern planter 
to the wall.” 

“ I’ll tell you how it looks to me, Tom,” returned 
his friend. “It makes me ashamed for my own 
people to hear that kind of talk against the party 
that has won. For term after term we Southerners 
have practically dictated the policy of the Govern- 
ment, and now it happens that the Northerners 
have become strong enough to elect a man of their 
own, and we were so split up on the questions of 
the day that he won by a clear majority. When 
the Northerners were beaten they gave in for the 
time being, working all the harder for the next 
election. Instead of following this example, we 
Southerners act like a lot of children, and declare 
we ‘ won’t play ! ’ Isn’t it disgusting ? Why don’t 
we swallow our disappointment and start in to 
work for the next election, instead of beginning to 
219 


'The Eve of Wax 


breathe fire and brimstone, and threaten war, and 
secession, and all that sort of foolishness ? I’m 
ashamed of my own state for leading the procession 
out of the Union.” 

“Why, Joe Eansom, you are a Yankee sym- 
pathizer ! ” gasped Tom. 

“ I’ve got a grain of common sense left, I hope,” 
declared the other, with vigor. “If that means 
I’m a Yankee, all right.” 

Tom looked at him silently for several minutes. 
Then he said, with marked hesitation: “I — I 
haven’t believed these stories they — folks, you 
know — have told about you, Joe, and I don’t want 
to believe them. But — but you talk like anything 
but a loyal son of the South, and that’s a fact.” 

“ I have told you all along that I did not believe 
as you do. Nevertheless, I don’t propose to see 
you walk right into trouble, not even with your 
eyes open. I’ve come here to Baltimore to stop it, 
and I’m not going to give you up, now I’ve found 
you ! ” 

“ Why, you’re not my keeper,” Tom said, in some 
heat. “I hope I’m old enough to know what I 
want to do.” 

“ Haven’t a doubt of it. But I tell you I’ll break 
this game up.” 

“Joe! They’ll kill you! Suppose anybody 
comes here and finds you with me ? ” 

“ That’s what they’ll do. I shall be right here. 

220 


The Eve War 


You’ll go nowhere to-night that I don’t go, Tom 
Marshall ! ” 

“Why — why, Joe, you can’t do it! They’ll 
think me a traitor. They’ll think I’ve told you.” 

“ I can’t help that. Here I stay until you give 
me your word that you’ll go right straight back to 
Washington with me.” 

“ I can’t do it.” 

“ Then I’ll meet your friends when they arrive,” 
responded Joe, and settled himself into the chair 
against the door once more, with folded arms. 
Tom continued to sit on the bed with a very white 
face and a manner ill at ease. Time was rapidly 
passing ; it would soon be dark. 

“You’ll do this on your own responsibility, 
then ! ” said Tom, at last. “ I wash my hands of 
it.” He rose as he spoke and suddenly cast himself 
upon Joe. The chair crashed under their combined 
weight, and in an instant the two boys were 
struggling desperately on the floor. The attack 
was so unexpected that Joe was quite stunned for a 
moment. Tom got him over on his face and tried 
to tie his chum’s wrists with the end of the bed- 
cord which lay in a coil upon the boards. But Joe 
was not so easily handled. Tom was strong 
enough at flrst, but Joe knew well he could tire 
young Marshall out in time. So he struggled more 
fiercely, while Tom panted astride him, unable to 
loop the cord over both of Joe’s wrists at once. 

221 


The Eve War 


Joe saved his strength until, feeling Tom’s grip 
weakening, he suddenly heaved up his shoulders, 
got upon his knees, and finally pitched his chum 
backward upon the bare fioor. 

Tom’s head came in sharp contact with the 
planks and he lay stunned, while Joe leaped upon 
him, seized the cord, and in a moment triced young 
Marshall’s wrists together behind his back, and 
then wound the slack of the cord about his lower 
limbs and tied his ankles tightly, too. Then he 
whipped out his knife and cut the cord from the 
bed, and there lay Master Tom, prepared like a 
chicken for the spit ! 

“ You — you got me ! ” panted Marshall, at 
last. 

“ You bet I did, old man. I’m much obliged to 
you for giving me this idea. I’d never have 
thought of it. Now, I declare I’ll send you home 
as freight, if you won’t go peaceably.” 

» I won’t go ! ” 

“All right; we’ll wait till you think it over,” 
said Joe, and he lifted the helpless Tom and laid 
him upon his side on the bed in as comfortable a 
position as the cords allowed. 

As he did so the bell in the hall below jangled 
sharply. Tom started and Joe noticed it. “ Who’s 
that — your friend ? ” he asked. Tom shut his lips 
firmly and Joe ran to the door and opened it. He 
heard the old woman shuffle through the hall and a 
222 


The Eve of Wzx 


moment later her drawling voice said: “Yassir! 
One-flight-rear. You kin fin’ it yerself.” 

“ By jove ! ” whispered Joe. “ He’s coming.” 
He looked wildly about. “ Do you know who it 
is ? ” he demanded of Tom, running back from the 
door, after turning the key again. Tom refused to 
answer, looking at him grimly. “I’ll hide you, 
anyway,” said Joe, and he began to draw the 
curtains about the bed. 

Then Tom’s lips opened. Yery little light came 
in through the window, but Joe saw this, and he 
knew instantly that Tom proposed to sing out to 
whoever it was coming up the stairs. Like a flash 
Joe sprang upon him, clapping one hand tightly 
upon his chum’s lips. Then he searched Tom’s 
pocket for a handkerchief, found it, and crammed it 
into the prisoner’s mouth, effectually gagging him ; 
and he used no great tenderness, for he did not wish 
his friend to utter a sound. 

He had no idea who this might be at the door. 
If Philip Chesney, Joe was determined to face him 
and dare him to do his worst. If it should be Nat 
Cleft, he expected to have a fight. And if it should 
be Fernandina, the person he most feared, it might 
end in a terrible encounter, thought of which made 
the boy tremble. He reached across Tom’s bound 
body and seized the revolver his chum had flung 
upon the bed some minutes before. Then a firm 
knock came upon the door of the dark chamber. 

223 


CHAPTER XIY 


THE RED BALLOT 

Joe’s movements were rapid, but the knock was 
repeated before he could hide the revolver in his 
pocket and reach the other end of the room. Then 
he fumbled the key a little in unlocking the door. 
When he turned the knob he stood behind the door, 
his right hand on the pistol, ready to leap back 
should the man who had rapped proved to be an 
enemy. But standing in the dimly lighted hall was 
a person whom the youth had never seen before. 
“Well?” queried Joe, briefly. 

“You are the young man from Washington?” 
asked the visitor, in a low tone. 

“Yes, sir,” replied Joe, quite truthfully, and at 
first not realizing that he was mistaken for Tom 
Marshall. 

“ I am sent for you, sir,” said the stranger. “ Y ou 
will be pleased to follow me. Keep a few yards in 
my rear. Do not lose sight of me, and when I enter 
a doorway, do you be sure and get in after me be- 
fore the door shuts.” 

“ All — all right,” stammered the boy, picking up 
his hat and coat. The man turned at once and be- 
224 


The Eve of Yf ax 


gan to descend the stairs. Joe ran back to the bed 
to see how Tom looked. His chum’s eyes glared at 
him wrathf ally ; he had been unable to loosen the 
handkerchief or his other bonds. “ Don’t try to get 
away till I come back, old man,” Joe whispered in 
his ear, and then he ran after the stranger. He 
locked the door of the room on the outside, slipping 
the key into his pocket, and hurried down the 
stairs. 

His guide stepped out into the dark street. The 
walk was deserted now ; the warehouses were closed 
and the trucks gone. A flaring oil lamp at the cor- 
ner was the only illumination on the block. His 
guide walked briskly away and Joe darted out of 
the door behind him and followed in his wake. 
The danger of this errand did not so impress J oe at 
the time as did its element of adventure. He had 
been mistaken for Tom Marshall, and was being led, 
without doubt, to the rendezvous of the plotters 
with whom his chum had become entangled. Little 
wonder that Joe’s heart beat high and he was alter- 
nately flushed with triumph and chilled with doubt 
as to the outcome. He might be upon the verge of 
a discovery which would be of great benefit to 
Colonel Stone — and to the man whom he had left 
in conversation with the Inspector-General the night 
before ! 

His guide walked steadily for some time and 
never once looking around to see if he were fol- 
225 


T’he Eve War 


lowed ; but Joe, urged by his curiosity, was deter- 
mined to pursue the matter to its conclusion. Sud- 
denly the man disappeared, and Joe quickened his 
pace, scrutinizing each doorway he came to. There, 
beside the glowing windows of a cafe, rather larger 
and more imposing than its neighbors, was a door 
leading into a dark hallway. This had evidently 
just been opened and Joe sprang forward and 
pushed it back again. There was a lamp burning 
dully at the end of the hall, and he stumbled to- 
ward it, feeling the wall on either hand, and won- 
dering if he was running unnecessarily into peril. 
The sound of much laughter and conversation, and 
the clink of glasses, came from beyond the partition 
on the right. The cafe was evidently well patron- 
ized; but his guide had disappeared. Just before 
he reached the door near which the smoky lamp 
burned, another man blocked his way. Joe started, 
and held back ; then he saw that this individual was 
a white-aproned waiter. 

‘‘ Eight up these stairs, sir,” said the waiter, wav- 
ing his hand to the left. Then Joe saw the flight 
leading upward. It was dark as pitch. “ There’s a 
door at the top, sir; rap at that,” continued the 
waiter, backing into the cafe, and while he held 
the door open an instant Joe caught a glimpse 
of long rows of tables at which many roughly 
dressed men were sitting. “Nice place for me 
to get into,” thought young Eansom ; but he 
226 


T'he Eve of ^2 lx 


started up-stairs, and the door swung to behind the 
waiter. 

That ugly weapon in his pocket (he wondered 
where Tom obtained the thing?) was a great com- 
fort to him now. He liked to feel it there, for if he 
got into trouble it might prove a friend indeed. 
This game he was playing was a desperate one. 
From what Tom had told him he was quite sure his 
guide had brought him to the place of the conspira- 
tor’s meeting. If Philip Chesney was present Joe 
would be recognized at once and then — well, the 
youth feared that he might need that revolver 
badly. When he reached the top of the stairs he 
was shaking as with a chill. Finally he plucked 
up courage and rapped. A bolt shot back and 
the door swung open. “Come on!” whispered 
a husky voice, and the boy stepped through, still 
into darkness. The door closed and he felt 
a hand laid on his arm. Joe started and 
gripped the revolver in the side pocket of his 
coat. 

“Whoa! be easy!” whispered the same voice. 
“ This way.” 

The corridor through which they walked was as 
dark as the inside of a coal-chute ; but soon another 
door was reached which Joe’s guide opened. A 
small room was revealed, like the ante-room of a 
lodge hall. A man came forward with a dark- 
lantern which he flashed into Joe’s face, while the 
227 


The Eve of Tf2ir 


other person returned to his station at the top of 
the stairs. 

“ Where from ? ” asked he of the dark-lantern. 

The question came so abruptly that Joe had no 
time to wonder if there were some password to be 
given, and he answered instantly : “ Washington, 
sir.” 

“ No, no,” returned the stranger. “ Later.” 

“ Oh — ah — Albemarle Street,” gasped Joe, sweat- 
ing with fear. 

“ Number?” 

“ Thirty-one and a half.” 

The man seemed to refer to a note-book in his 
hand, holding it to the light from the lantern. 
“ Ha — hum ! That’s right. ‘ Young — eighteen. 
Light hair.’ You’re not so very light. ‘Slim 
build.’ Ha ! I should call you pretty rugged for 
a boy. About as near as folks usually get things.” 

Joe realized that the man was reading a brief de- 
scription of Tom Marshall’s personal appearance and 
he suddenly remembered that there were many points 
of difference between him and his chum. But the 
man did not suspect anything. “Go on,” he 
growled at last. 

Joe saw no place to go excepting through a door- 
way in the opposite wall of the room. He walked 
boldly to that, therefore, and tried the door-knob. 
Instantly a round panel opened on a level with his 
eyes and he saw a man’s face at the aperture. And 
228 


The Eve War 


the man was Fernandina, the fellow who had con- 
versed with Philip Chesney that memorable after- 
noon in the stable I 

To say that Joe was frightened would be but 
faintly to express his feelings. He had already 
been shaking with apprehension ; now he was 
stricken dumb and motionless. His face must have 
been as colorless as that of a corpse and he could 
feel the drops of clammy perspiration gather under- 
neath his hat-band. The boy had conceived a great 
fear of the erstwhile Baltimore barber; he had 
reason to believe that Fernandina would hesitate at 
no crime. But Fernandina had obtained but a 
passing glimpse of him, as Joe rode into the lane 
behind the stable that day, and he had no particular 
reason for remembering the boy’s face. One swift 
glance the man now gave him ; then the door 
opened and he said : “ Pass I ” 

Joe would much rather have run. He had seen 
all he wanted of this mysterious business ; he had 
gone far enough ; he would have given a great deal 
to be back where Tom Marshall was, safely tied 
down upon the bed in the furnished room at Albe- 
marle Street. But he could not return now. With 
trembling limbs he entered the room. Fernandina 
closed the door and immediately walked away and 
left him. He was not molested in the least, al- 
though there were a number of other men present. 
This fact gave Joe a chance to recover some 
229 


T'he Eve ^ War 


of his courage and to glance swiftly about the 
room. 

There was a long table, above which was a 
swinging lamp giving out about as much smoke 
as light. Chairs were arranged at the table and 
most of these chairs were filled by men who kept 
their hats on and who, in several cases, seemed 
anxious to muffle their features in the capes of their 
coats. An artist could have found no more typical 
gathering to serve as the model for a picture of 
“ The Conspirators.” 

Ilobody spoke to Joe. Indeed, there was little 
said, and most of that in whispers. The men were 
waiting the coming of the remaining members of 
the party, and soon Fernandina ushered in another 
person. This man advanced to the table and sat 
down, and thus encouraged, Joe followed his ex- 
ample. “ Only two more to come, friends,” said a 
voice from the further end of the room ; but nobody 
answered. All seemed more or less distraught or 
nervous. After a time the two remaining members 
of the group entered, one following the other within 
a few moments. Joe could not see a single man 
whom he knew. Philip Chesney was not there, 
nor was Nat Cleft, the only two Washington men 
whom he was sure knew about this meeting. 

‘‘Chesney has delegated Tom to do his dirty 
work for him. He is a coward — I knew he was 1 ” 
thought Joe. 


230 


The Eve ^ War 


The men sat up straighter and turned their eyes 
upon the one who had already spoken. Fernandina 
came away from the door and took a seat halfway 
down the board. But the other sentinels did not 
enter. The man at the head of the table rose. As 
his face came more into the light, Joe started and 
smothered an exclamation of surprise. He now 
recognized this individual as a man whom he had 
often seen in Washington, a distinguished citizen of 
Maryland, a politician of some importance, and one 
of the last persons in the world whom he would 
have expected to see at such a gathering. But as 
Philip Chesney had said to Fernandina, conspira- 
cies, like politics, make strange bedfellows ! 

“ Gentlemen,” this man began, in a low voice, 
“there are twenty of us here. We have been 
selected for a grave purpose. That purpose is fully 
known to some; suspected by others; and will, I 
believe, be approved by all. We are not a ‘Peace 
Commission ’ like that at present holding conference 
at the Capital. We all, I believe, are decided that 
war is inevitable. We are ready for it. We wel- 
come it ! 

“ That is, gentlemen, we welcome it in spirit. We 
are ready for it in the abstract. But the South is 
not yet fully prepared for battle. She must be 
given more time, and to gain this, we must paralyze 
the Federal Government until we are strong 
enough to strike. We must retard the issue long 

231 


T^he Eve of 


enough for dear old Maryland to cast off the yoke 
the tyrants would press upon her shoulders. To 
this end something must be done, gentlemen ; you 
all know what that something is. It must never 
be said by our children that we allowed a tyrant 
like this Abe Lincoln to pass triumphantly through 
our beloved State ! It must not be, gentlemen, it 
must not be ! 

“And this army of Abolitionists and Yankee 
pedlars who expect to come South with Lincoln, 
must be stopped. Let them set up a black idol and 
worship it, if they will ; the South brooks no further 
interference on the question of slavery. For my 
part, if I were not sure of your sympathy in what I 
am saying, if I did not know you believed as I do, 
still would I go out of this room determined to foil 
the attempt of the North to coerce Maryland ! 
Lincoln shall be stopped. I tell you, gentlemen, he 
shall never be inaugurated I The Capitol must be 
ours. The public departments must be handed over 
to Mr. Davis and his noble co-workers. 

“ I feel sure, however, that we are, one and all, 
determined on this thing. We have assembled here 
to-night for the purpose of choosing a man who 
shall strike the tyrant down. He must be killed ! 
Nothing else will so throw the enemy into con- 
fusion and give us the time we need. Abe Lincoln 
must be sent back to the Hoosiers in his coffin ! 
He proposes to speak here in Baltimore. Such 
232 


T^he Eve ^ War 

foolish people as believe in him, will welcome him. 
It is a stain that Baltimore must wipe out — with 
her blood if need be, but surely with his blood. 

‘‘ Our plan is this : The Abolitionist and his 
party will arrive at the Calvert Street station. The 
day and hour will be made known secretly to every 
man here. We can depend upon the police ; you 
all know that Georgie Kane is with us, heart and 
soul. He will send but a small force of police to 
the station, and will refuse to furnish any escort 
whatsoever through the city. Therefore, the way 
will be practically open for any man to press up 
near the Abolitionist. 

“ As soon as he leaves his train, there will be a 
riot started by a gang of men from the river-front, 
several hundred yards from the station ; and this 
will take the few officers who may be on hand away 
from the visiting party. Then, with our friends 
gathered close around, and jostling the tyrant and 
his comrades, the work can be done. It will be 
easily accomplished. And, not only so, but the 
doer of it may easily escape. 

“ Kow, gentlemen, this is the plan. It may be 
changed slightly, or modified later, but the general 
idea will be retained. The question only remains, 
Who shall do the deed ? ” 

He was silent for a moment, and the listeners 
moved uneasily. Joe, who sat there as though 
frozen to his chair, overpowered by the wickedness 

233 


T^he Eve of 


of this plot, saw Fernandina’s eyes glitter. The 
foreigner was eager to spring up and cry out that 
he was ready for the work ! But again the speaker 
resumed : 

“ I believe that every person here would be sure 
and certain to do the deed, should the lot fall upon 
him. And it is decided to choose our minister by 
lot. In this ballot-box,’’ he suddenly lifted a black 
case to the table, “ are twenty ballots — one for each 
man here. One of these ballots is red. The man 
who draws this red ballot is the faithful one chosen 
to strike the blow. No man must show his ballot. 
That is for safety’s sake. The man who draws the 
red slip will make his preparations. When the hour 
comes he will be surrounded by friends who will aid 
him, should occasion arise. 

‘‘ Gentlemen,” pursued the speaker, in vibrant 
tones, “ we have met here like conspirators and 
plotters, it is true. But something higher sustains 
us. A Great Destiny points to one here as the man 
to rid an overburdened people of a tyrant. The 
time will come when our children’s children shall 
call us patriots ! Kemember this. 

“ Now, gentlemen, to draw. I will lead, and 
may Fate send the red ballot to my hand ! ” 

He plunged his arm to the elbow through the 
opening in the cover of the box. He brought it 
forth tightly closed and pushed the box to the man 
at his left. One after another they drew in solemn 

234 



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The Eve of V^2iX 


silence. And so the ballot-box came down one 
side of the table and finally reached Joe Ean- 
som. 

For these last few minutes Joe had sat paralyzed 
by fear. The horror of it all — the fact that he sat 
there listening to a man planning to do murder, and 
that one of those about him was destined to perform 
the deed because he believed duty called him to it — 
affected his mind and nerves so that he nearly 
broke into hysterical laughter. And suppose, after 
all, that the man whose end they planned, was 
already safe in Washington ? 

But when he found the ballot-box before him, he 
started suddenly erect and realized his situation. 
He was expected to ballot, and he could not hesi- 
tate. He knew that all eyes were on him at that 
moment. He thrust his hand and wrist into the hole 
and, his fingers groping about in the interior, finally 
touched a paper. A shiver seized him. Suppose it 
should be the red ballot ! Suppose he should choose 
the fatal paper which was to appoint Lincoln’s ex- 
ecutioner ! 

He passed this first slip over and seized another, 
which he drew forth and hid in the palm of his 
hand. The ballot-box went on. In a few minutes 
all had drawn and then the leader opened the box, and 
turning it bottom upward, shook it over the table. 
It was empty. Every man had balloted. 

“We are done, gentlemen,” he said, solemnly. 

235 


The Eve ^ War 


“ Let us leave quietly, one at a time. We do not 
wish to attract attention.” 

Several arose. Joe being near the end of the ta- 
ble was the second at the door. In five minutes he 
was on the street again. Not a soul had spoken to 
him. He glanced back and saw nobody following 
him as he hastened away from the building in which 
the meeting had been held. Once around a corner 
he ran — ran as he never ran before, nor did he halt 
until he was fairly breathless. Then he had reached 
a better part of the town, so dropped into a 
walk. 

And then, in a flash, he thought of the ballot he 
had drawn and which all this time he held clutched 
in his right hand. It was the ballot which would 
have fallen to Tom Marshall had he succeeded in 
reaching the meeting of the conspirators. Joe 
halted under a lamp-post and opened his clenched 
fist. 

The paper lay upon his moist palm and~it was 
red. 


236 


CHAPTER XV 


THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 

Somewhere a city clock boomed the hour of 
ten. The solemn sound startled Joe Ransom and he 
moved away from the lighted corner of the deserted 
street, hiding the fatal slip of paper in his pocket. 
That he should have drawn it seemed, to his excited 
imagination, a direct interposition of Providence. 
He, the only loyal member of that secret commit- 
tee, had obtained the warrant for Abraham Lincoln’s 
death. He laughed wildly at the thought. “ Sup- 
pose old Tom had gone there. Suppose he had sat 
where I did, and had drawn this ballot as I have. 
Thank God ! thank God ! ” Whether Mr. Lincoln 
had stolen a march upon the conspirators by ar- 
riving in Washington so long before he was ex- 
pected, or not, Tom was saved from participating 
in the plot against the life of the President-elect. 

But what should he say to Tom when he got 
back to Albemarle Street? A sign on a corner 
post told him that he had been unconsciously strid- 
ing toward the little frame house in which he had 
left his chum in such sorry plight. Would the ex- 
posure of this awful plot convince Tom that his 
friends were wrong? Joe had no hope of that. 

237 


The Eve ^ War 


Tom, he believed, would be horrified by the sug- 
gestion of the crime a participation in the planning 
for which he had so narrowly escaped ; but these 
men were few in numbers; they were the hot- 
heads, the fire-eaters, the irresponsible individuals 
of the party Tom espoused. Young Marshall was 
as thoroughly convinced that the South was right 
as Joe was that she was wrong. It was a convic- 
tion from which no argument could convert his 
chum. Each antagonist in the controversy must be 
satisfied by the conclusions of his own reasoning 
powers. 

And what made Joe’s step lag and his spirit de- 
sert him, was the foreknowledge that he and Tom 
must part. He had hoped that the battle-clouds 
gathering, the one in the northern horizon, the other 
in the southern, and between which lightning flashes 
already passed, might yet be dissipated. There 
were older and far wiser people than this boy of 
eighteen who then believed that by some trick — 
some sudden manifestation of fate — war could be 
averted. At that very time no less able man than 
Mr. Seward was formulating a magnificent plan for 
involving the Government in a European war, 
and thus cementing the North and South together 
by a common peril, which plan he was anxious to 
submit to the President-elect. 

But such hopes were futile, Joe now acknowl- 
edged, and Tom and he would have to part. Dear 
238 


The Eve ^ War 


old Tom, whom he had fought with, and fought for, 
and with whom he had shared every boyish joy and 
sorrow. The strongest, most unyielding friendships 
are formed between boys of a certain calibre. 
Nothing in after life ever really severs these ties. 
But circumstances sometimes force apart the very 
natures that cling most obstinately together. And 
Joe feared greatly that his treatment of Tom had 
been unforgivable. He knew he had saved Tom 
from a great peril ; yet perhaps at the price of his 
chum’s love. 

When he turned the corner into Albemarle Street 
the block upon which the frame house was situated 
was absolutely empty. No footfall sounded on the 
flags ; nor did a wagon rattle over the rough pave- 
ments. Joe reached the door of thirty-one and 
a-half and laid his hand on the knob. He feared the 
door might be locked at night ; but evidently the 
old woman who kept the place was not very partic- 
ular whom, she lodged, nor what her tenants did, 
for the door opened at his pressure and he stepped 
into the pitch-dark hall. 

What had happened during his absence from the 
house ? Had Tom broken his bonds, taken out the 
gag, or summoned somebody to his assistance ? 
Would his chum be there when he entered the 
room ? The old house was silent ; not a sound 
reached his ears. 

He drew the key and the revolver from his pocket. 

239 


The Eve War 


He was not afraid of Tom himself, of course ; but 
suppose Philip Chesney had come while he had 
been absent ? When he arrived at the top of the 
stairs he listened a moment and heard no sound 
from the room ; so creeping near, he carefully in- 
serted the key in the lock. Naturally this made 
some little clatter, but it elicited no response from 
inside. Strangely enough, however, he found much 
difficulty in unlocking the door ; the key would not 
turn the bolt any farther. He stooped down to 
look at the lock and caught the flash of lamplight 
through the crack of the door. 

“ I left no light burning ! ” gasped J oe, under his 
breath. “ What has happened ? ” 

He hesitated. Once he was for turning and run- 
ning away ; but he could not do that when Tom 
might be lying in an uncomfortable position on the 
bed. The key would not do its duty and so, be- 
coming desperate, Joe laid hold of the knob and 
turned it. The door flew open. 

There was a lamp lit in the room, and as the door 
swung back Joe caught sight of a figure sitting in 
one of the chairs beside the bed. The boy thrust 
forward his revolver, but dodged back into the 
shadow of the hall. “Come in!” exclaimed the 
calm voice of the stranger. “ Don’t fool with that 
gun. I wouldn’t have waited all this time for you 
if I hadn’t been prepared to meet you, young man. 
Come in and close that door.” 

240 


The Eve of Thzx 


As the startled boy peered into the room he saw 
the curtains of the bed move and Tom’s face was 
suddenly thrust forth. The instant he saw him, his 
chum scpwled. “ Come in here and send away your 
watch-dog,” he said. “ I’m about sick of this. I’ll 
raise the neighbors if you fellows don’t let up on 
me.” 

Joe entered and slowly closed the door, still eye- 
ing the stranger in wonder. The man was not far 
from thirty, possessing clear-cut features, and bright 
blue eyes that had something humorous in their ex- 
pression. He now seemed vastly amused by Joe’s 
amazement. “ Your friend and I got quite chummy, 
Kansom,” the man declared. “ He thought you and 
I were acquainted, so he has told me just what he 
thinks of you. I removed the gag because it hurt 
him, and loosened his bonds so that he must be a 
deal more comfortable. But he doesn’t seem par- 
ticularly grateful.” 

“ I’ll show you fellows my gratitude when I get 
out of this,” grumbled Tom. 

‘‘ But who are you, sir ? ” demanded Joe, of the 
stranger. 

“ I received a wire telling me to be on the look- 
out for you — from you know whom,” and the man 
smiled again. “ I watched you come in this after- 
noon, and I saw you go out with your companion 
this evening. I followed you until I made sure you 
would be under the surveillance of a trusty man.” 

241 


T'he Eve ^ War 


Joe glanced quickly at Tom, who was drinking all 
this in. “ Eight ! ” exclaimed the stranger ; “ guess 
well have our little talk in private, Mr. Eansom.” 
He moved his chair across the room to the door. 
“You see, I picked your lock to get in; you can 
lock the door again now if you like. Sure you 
were not followed ? ” 

“ I don’t think so. I saw nobody.” 

“Well, what happened there?” asked the man, 
dropping his voice to a confidential pitch. 

“I — I can’t talk to you. I don’t know you,” 
stammered Joe. 

“Quite right; so you don’t. But my name is 
David S. Bookstaver, and I was sent by Chief of 
Police Kennedy, of New York, to Baltimore at 
Colonel Stone’s request. Just at present I’m sup- 
posed to be a music agent and in that guise I’ve 
gained considerable information regarding the mat- 
ter in which we are all so greatly interested. Here’s 
the wire the Colonel sent me last night. But hold 
on ! ” and the detective laughed ; “ it’s in cypher, 
so you couldn’t read it. You’ll have to take me on 
trust. I followed you to that cafe and there I left 
you in the care of a better man than I — a brother 
detective who is now working for the Pinkerton 
Agency, I believe — Timothy Webster. He’s en- 
gaged on this same matter, too, but I believe he is 
in the employ of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and 
Baltimore Eailroad Company. I hear that Allan 
242 


rhe Eve of War 


Pinkerton is in the city ; but I don’t know 
him.” 

Joe listened to this with some doubt. The 
stranger really seemed worthy of confidence ; yet 
the boy’s natural cautiousness made him shrink 
from a discussion of the events of the evening. 
Bookstaver talked glibly enough, and of men whose 
names fired Joe’s imagination and interest; but the 
conspirators’ meeting had been so important that he 
determined to speak to no stranger about it. “ You 
may be all right, Mr. Bookstaver,” he said, slowly, 
“ but I can’t talk with you on that.” 

“ On what ? ” queried the other. 

“Well, on — on what I overheard to-night.” 

“ Overheard ! ” exclaimed Bookstaver, with a 
laugh. “ Didn’t you attend that meeting ? I knew 
it was to be held. Your friend 3’'onder has told me 
all about it.” 

“ My friend knew little about it, so he couldn’t 
have given you any very important information,” 
returned Joe, shrewdly. 

“Well, well!” exclaimed the detective, in some 
chagrin. “ Guess you know how to keep a matter 
to yourself. If you won’t talk. I’ll talk instead. I 
can tell you how your friend feels over your usage 
of him. He’d have done the same to you if he 
could, so he’ll come around.” Joe sighed, for he 
knew that there would be a deeper question than 
that to discuss with his chum. “ He’s promised to 
243 


‘The Eve of Yf ax 

go home with you to-night,” pursued Bookstaver. 
“ There is a train in an hour and a half, or so. I’ll 
get your tickets and you’ll only need to go to the 
station and step aboard the train. The porter will 
hand you the tickets; I can trust him. There’s 
somebody in town whom you won’t care to meet, I 
reckon.” 

“ Philip Chesney ! ” ejaculated Joe. “ Is he still 
here?” 

“So I believe. There’s another man trailing 
him. Now I’m off,” and he rose. “ Guess you’ve 
managed to do your friend a good turn to-night ; I 
only hope he’ll realize it.” 

“And — and didn’t Colonel Stone telegraph you 
anything else?” stammered Joe, recalling once 
more the Inspector-General’s strange visitor. 

“ What do you mean ? ” demanded Bookstaver, 
rather puzzled. 

“ I — I thought you might know about it,” and 
urged by his own curiosity, Joe blurted out the 
story of the Colonel’s visitor from the West. Book- 
staver listened attentively, at first much puzzled, 
but later with an amused smile. 

“ What name did he give ? ” he asked. 

“Mr. Leonard Swett.” . 

“ Hum ! — yes. Quite an unusual occurrence. 

And you say he looked much like Mr. Lincoln ? ” 

“ It was Mr. Lincoln to the life ! ” declared Joe. 
“Yet, how could it be he? If he is already in 
244 


The Eve ^ War 


Washington, this — this conspiracy is bound to fall 
to the ground. What do you think about it, Mr. 
Bookstaver ? ” 

The detective looked into the boy’s eager face for 
fully a minute ; then his own broke into a smile 
and he favored Joe with a most knowing wink. 
“ Tit for tat, young man,” he said. “ You seem to 
think what you’ve seen to-night is a secret. Well, 
then, whether I think Mr. Lincoln is in Washington 
now, or not, is likewise a secret,” and still chuck- 
ling, he quickly opened the door and melted into 
the darkness of the stairway. 

Joe turned toward the bed. Tom Marshall was 
looking out from between the curtains with rather 
a sullen face. “ Who is that fellow ? ” he asked. 

‘‘I never saw him before,” Joe replied. 

Thought he was your friend ? ” 

“ He was sent here to look after me.” 

“ Who sent him ? ” 

“ I can’t tell you that, Tom.” 

“Well, you’ve played me a sorry trick, Joe Kan- 
som. I thought he was one of my friends at first, 
and I tell you he managed to pump me dry. 
Goodness knows what will come of this night’s 
work ! ” 

“ That’s a true word,” declared Joe, feelingly. 

“ Where have you been ? I reckon I’ve got a 
right to know,” grunted Tom. “ They took you 
for me, didn’t they ? ” 


245 


The Eve ^ War 


‘‘Yes. I didn’t happen to see anybody who 
knew me.” 

“ Not even Mr. Chesney ? You say he is in 
town.” 

“ He is. But you may be sure he did not appear 
at the place to which I was taken. He got you to 
do his dirty work, Tom. He must have been very 
sure of you, indeed.” 

“ Do you mean to say that you have been in dan- 
ger, and that you went to a meeting Philip Chesney 
did not dare attend ? ” 

“ Exactly. I have been to a place where twenty 
men — including your humble servant — drew lots to 
see who should commit a murder ! ” 

“ Joe Kansom ! What’s that you say ? ” 

“ If I never spoke the truth before, I speak it 
now, Tom,” said Joe, solemnly. “ Listen to me,” 
and he sketched his adventure, as briefly and as 
earnestly as possible. He had Tom’s attention 
every instant, too. “ And that is what you would 
have experienced, Tom Marshall, had you gone 
out to-night. See this ! ” and he drew forth the 
red ballot and shook it before the startled eyes of 
his chum. “You might have drawn that. You 
have sworn to obey somebody, or something ; and 
that promise would have forced you — to what ? 
Tell me, Tom, what would you have done had you 
drawn the lot which appointed you the murderer 
of the President-elect ? ” 

246 


T'he Eve ^ War 

Tom lay a moment silent, hiding his face from 
his chum. Finally he whispered : “ But you, Joe ? 
What will you do ? ” 

“ I’m bound by ho oath, Tom Marshall ! I have 
not risked my self-respect by swearing to blindly 
obey. Providence has put this red ballot in my 
hand, and if the leaders in this conspiracy wait for 
me to strike the blow, they will wait forever ! ” 

“ What shall I do ? what shall I do ? ” cried his 
chum, in an agony of indecision. 

“Do nothing. Say nothing. You own that you 
were misinformed as to what was expected of you 
when you joined these men.” 

“ But I am bound to them ! ” cried Tom. 

“ You are not bound to do this ! ” and Joe waved 
the red paper in his hand. “ I don’t expect this 
will cure you of being a sympathizer with much 
that these friends of yours are seeking to bring 
about. You’re for the South heart and soul ” 

“ And you, Joe ? What do you stand for ? ” de- 
manded Tom, eagerly. 

“ For the Government — for the stars and stripes 
— for an undivided Union ! ” exclaimed Joe. “ I 
might as well tell you now. We have gone too 
far to try to hoodwink each other. If there is war, 
dear old chap, you and I will be fighting on oppo- 
site sides.” 

“ Oh, Joe ! ” 

“ The pity of it ! ” burst out young Kansom, after 
247 


The Eve of TI^lx 


a moment. ‘‘Think of it! We both will believe 
we are right. Neither of us can understand the 
matter differently from what we do now. No mat- 
ter which side wins, the wound of defeat will rankle 
in one of our hearts as long as we live. Dear Tom ! 
I know that you will fight for what you think is 
right ; but you will not fight in this way ? ” and he 
thrust forward the ballot again. “ You surely will 
not uphold murder ? ” 

“No, no ! I can’t do that,” whispered his 
chum. 

“ Then, old man, I haven’t come down here to 
Baltimore in vain. I thought one while that noth- 
ing but a miracle would get me back home alive ; 
but I’m glad I came — even if nothing comes of the 
conspiracy. You had nothing to do with this busi- 
ness to-night. Yet you have not broken your word. 
You were unavoidably detained. You could not 
help yourself.” 

“I have been saved from a terrible thing, Joe,” 
murmured Tom. 

“ And I ask but one return. I beg of you to say 
nothing about this. We were instructed to-night 
at this meeting to tell nobody which ballot we 
drew ; so you have a good reason for refusing to 
speak.” 

“ But what will you do ? Whom will you tell ? ” 

“ I’ll tell those who will make it their business to 
see that no opportunity is given for the carrying 
248 


The Eve of W2iX 


out of this plot ; although it looks to me now,” he 
added, sotto voce, “ as though such caution will be 
unnecessary. I do not know who these men were 
I was with to-night. That is, I knew but two of 
them by sight, and one I could never bring myself 
to inform upon. Under the circumstances it will 
not be necessary for any of these men to be appre- 
hended. . . . Now, shall we catch that twelve 

o’clock train home ? Your folks and mine, Tom, 
will likely be worried to death. And suppose any- 
thing has happened to the Major while I have been 
over here? . . . You’ll go with me, won’t you, 

Tom ? ” 

“ Oh, I promised that fellow I would. But you’ll 
have to let me up.” 

“ Forgive me, old fellow ! I thought you were 
free,” and Joe whipped out his knife and severed 
the cords that bound his chum. 

Ten minutes later they were out of the old house 
and making their way rapidly to the railway sta- 
tion. They slunk through the streets, fearing to 
attract attention, for under the circumstances Tom 
was quite as desirous of getting back to Washing- 
ton without question as was J oe. As they entered 
the station and made quickly for the train, a man 
in the uniform of a railroad employee passed the 
two boys swiftly, ‘‘ took them in ” with one scruti- 
nizing glance, and then slipping back, placed an en- 
velope in Joe’s hand. The envelope contained two 
249 


The Eve War 


Washington tickets. Mr. Bookstaver had kept his 
promise. 

The boys boarded the train in safety. Joe was 
afraid that Philip Chesney might be returning to 
the capital, too ; but if he were aboard they did not 
see him. Tom had little to say all the way to 
Washington. Indeed, both boys dozed most of the 
time, and considering the little sleep Joe had had 
for two nights, he needed it now. Once out of the 
Washington station they walked swiftly toward 
Georgetown. There were no hacks about at that 
hour and, anyway, they did not wish to attract at- 
tention by riding. They swung along the streets 
together, shoulder to shoulder, walking in step as 
they had so often before. 

It was Tom who first spoke ; they were at his 
gate then. He turned and held out his hand to his 
friend. “ Joe,” he said, “ I want to shake hands 
with you. I want to thank you for what you have 
done for me — and mother and Amy will thank you, 
too, when they know. But you and I can never be 
just the same to each other again.” 

“ I know it, old man,” said Joe, gloomily. “ At 
least, not until this trouble is over.” 

“ Maybe not then, Joe. I can see how you have 
deceived us all. You let us think you were for the 
South when you’ve been for the North all the 
time.” 

“ Would you have refused to do what you could 
250 


The Eve ^ War 


for jour party ? Haven’t you been interested in 
secret plans to betray the Federal Government? 
Tell me that, Tom Marshall ! ” and Joe’s voice 
shook with feeling. 

“ Well — yes — I suppose so.” 

“ Yet you think that I have played a dishonor- 
able part ? ” Tom was silent, his eyes fixed upon 
the ground. He still held out his hand, but Joe re- 
fused to take it. “ Ho, sir ! ” he cried. “ I will not 
shake your hand as long as you think me dishonor- 
able. You and I, Tom, have come to the cross- 
roads, I reckon. Our ways part here. I’d like to 
feel that you respected me. Some day I believe 
you’ll see that I have done nothing dishonorable. 
When you see this, old fellow, my hand will be 
ready to meet yours. . . . Good-bye ! ” 

He turned swiftly and strode away into the gray 
of the early morning, while Tom Marshall stood 
dumbly and watched him go. 


251 


CHAPTER XYI 


AN UNDERCURRENT 

Uncle Luke had just been relieved from duty 
in the library and was coming out of the house 
when Joe arrived that morning. “ Fo’ de goodness 
gracious, Mars’ Joe I ” he exclaimed. ‘‘We all 
come nigh havin’ er conniption erbout you, we 
shore did ! Mammy jes’ had a tur’ble time keepin’ 
Miss Dollie parsified.” 

“ Why, what’s the matter ? ” asked Joe. 

“ Wal, yo’ sendin’ de boss an’ Mars’ Tawm’s bag 
ober yere, sorter opened ma eyes ter sumpen. So 
w’en Miss Dollie done begun arskin’ questions 
erbout w’ere yo^ was yisterday, I sent Merc’ry ober 
ter Mis’ Marshall’s ter snoop eroun’.” 

“ But they thought Tom was over here ! ” cried 
Joe. 

“ In co’se dey did, sah. Merc’ry foun’ dat out, 
an’ he didn’ tell ’em no diff’runt — hi ! yi ! Dat boy 
is shorely so sharp dat he’ll be hung yit, yo’ see.” 

“ I hope not, Luke. So Dollie doesn’t know that 
I wasn’t at the Marshalls’ ? ” 

“ No. Merc’ry corned back an’ ’lowed you an’ 
Mars’ Tawm was off prograsternatin’ somewhere 
tergeder. She is po’ful rily, dat’s a fac’, ’cause yo’ 
252 


The Eve of Th2x 


didn’t stay wid her w’ile her Uncle Philip done 
gwine erway.” 

And Miss Dollie certainly did appear “ rily ” at 
breakfast time. She scarcely spoke to Joe at all, 
evidently thinking that he had kept away from her 
purposely during the past thirty -six hours. IS'ever- 
theless, Joe was glad that nobody seemed to sus- 
pect where he had been. He only hoped Dollie 
would not mention his absence to Philip when he 
returned. Joe plucked up courage, however, to ask 
Dollie about the Major. “ You don’t seem particu- 
larly anxious regarding him,” she said, pursing her 
lips, “ when you can leave him for two nights and a 
day. He wanted to know yesterday where you 
were, and I had to tell him that you were off sky- 
larking with that Tom Marshall.” 

“ ‘ He wanted to know ’ ! ” repeated Joe. “ How’s 
that ? ” 

“ Oh, I know what he wants, poor old man, bet- 
ter than anybody else. I knew he was looking for 
you all day. He always watches the door until you 
have been in to see him.” 

Joe’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t suppose 
he cared as much as that,” he murmured. 

“ And I don’t see why he should ! ” snapped 
Dollie. “ But he is so weak and helpless ; if you 
had a spark of love for him, Joe Hansom, you 
would try to please him.” 

“ Don’t, Dollie ! I do love him. But Dr. Pretty- 

253 


"The Eve ^ War 


man tells us that he is on the highroad to re- 
covery.” 

At that Dollie burst into tears. Joe sprang up 
and ran around the breakfast table to her. “ You 
poor girl ! You’ve overdone since the Major has 
been ill. What is it ? ” 

“ Don’t pity me ! ” she exclaimed, between her 
sobs. “ If you do I won’t be able to stop crying. 
Oh, oh ! Joe, I don’t believe grandfather is getting 
well at all ! ” and then she jumped up from the 
table and ran to her room and locked herself in. 
She would not answer him when he knocked, so he 
sorrowfully descended the stairs and went into the 
library. The invalid was asleep, but Joe sat down 
beside the bed and waited for him to awake, dozing 
himself the while. And the look in Major Ches- 
ney’s eyes when they opened, repaid him for wait- 
ing. The old gentleman was plainly made happy 
by Joe’s visit, and the boy remained for some time 
— remained, indeed, until Dollie crept down-stairs 
with very red eyes, and took her seat on the other 
side of the bed. The sick man turned his gaze 
from one to the other with an expression which 
revealed that the two he loved most in the world 
were right there beside him. 

Joe was vastly in need of sleep; but he did not 
leave the library for that reason. It was mid-fore- 
noon and he wished to visit Colonel Stone and re- 
count his experience in Baltimore. Beside, he was 
254 


The Eve of 'Wdir 


anxious to learn more about the strange man who 
had visited the Inspector-General the last time Joe 
had seen that official. 

When he had taken a bath, which mightily re- 
freshed him, and changed his clothing for a riding 
suit, Joe came down just in season to meet Philip 
Chesney. Dollie had spied her uncle coming and 
ran out of the front door. She hung on his arm, 
carrying his bag in her other hand ; and her evident 
delight at his return gave Joe a pang of actual jeal- 
ousy. Philip eyed the boy with his usual disfavor 
as he passed ; but now Joe did not lower his gaze. 
He looked the man straight in the eye, and re- 
membering the cowardly way in which Chesney 
had sought to push Tom Marshall forward in his 
stead, Joe’s eyes expressed nothing but contempt. 
It was Philip who looked away in confusion on this 
occasion and when Mercury brought Sultan around 
to the front door, the man, watching from the back- 
ground of the hall, had nothing to say. 

When he had ridden into Washington and left his 
horse as usual at a livery stable, Joe bought a paper 
to read the special news that had just been wired 
from Montgomery, where the deputies of the seced- 
ing States were in session. For two or three days, 
Joe had lost run of the trend of public events. He 
knew that Federal property all over the South was 
being seized by the States’ authorities, and that the 
Southern deputies were in session in the Alabama 

255 


T'he Eve 19/' War 


capital, while the “ peace conference,” or committee 
of thirty-three, representing thirteen free and seven 
border states, called at the request of the Virginia 
Legislature, was holding its sessions in Washington. 
There were still people who believed that peace 
would prevail and were doing all they could to de- 
lay any preparations of the Federal Government for 
war. And by this extra edition of the paper, Joe 
learned that the Montgomery Convention had just 
elected Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, President, and 
Alexander H. Stevens of Georgia, Vice-President, of 
the Confederate States of America. 

The boy was obliged to wait for some time in 
Colonel Stone’s office for the Inspector-General ; 
but when he came in Stone welcomed his young as- 
sistant warmly. “I have received rather a non- 
committal wire from Bookstaver. He associates 
your name with an oyster rather oddly. I reckon 
you refused to be opened, eh ? ” and the Colonel 
laughed. 

“ He was very kind. But I did not know him. 
What I had to tell I preferred to tell you first of 
all.” 

“And quite right. Ransom. How let me hear 
your story. Did young Marshall come back with 
you ? ” 

Joe was a good half hour in narrating his adven- 
tures, and the Colonel was too absorbed in the story 
to interrupt him ; but when the boy halted, he said : 

256 


‘The Eve ^ War 


“It is too bad I did not know all this before. 
Bookstaver hasn’t learned as much, in all this time, 
as you did during your twenty-four hours in Balti- 
more. I would much rather report this by word of 
mouth than reduce it to writing and trust it to the 
mails.” 

Joe leaned forward eagerly, his face flushing. 
“ What do you mean, sir ? ” he asked. “ Has — has 
he gone back again ? ” 

“ Whom do you mean, Eansom ? ” Then Colonel 
Stone broke into a sudden laugh. “ I see ! I see ! ” 
he cried. “ You were with me the night Mr. Swett 
called.” 

“Was that really his name, sir?” and Joe’s dis- 
appointment was very evident. 

“It certainly was — Mr. Leonard Swett. He is 
Mr. Lincoln’s personal friend, and almost his double 
in physical appearance. The resemblance is very 
striking and I must admit that I was deceived my- 
self.” 

Joe sighed. “ I — I hoped that the new President 
was really here, and that all our anxiety was over,” 
he said. 

1 The Colonel grew grave instantly. “ I heartily 
,! second that wish, young man,” he said. “ When Mr. 
‘I Swett was here I could tell him nothing but my 
I, suspicions. Had I known what I know now I be- 
ij lieve I could have convinced him that Baltimore 
il was an unsafe place for the President-elect. How 
I 257 


“The Eve ^ War 


my report will have to go up through the usual 
channels and — well, Kansom, it may not reach Mr. 
Lincoln at all, or — until it is too late,” and he shooli 
his head thoughtfully. But in a moment he roused 
himself and smiled again at the youth. “ I can only 
say ‘ Thank you ! ’ for what you have done, Kansom. 
But the knowledge that you have (if all goes well, 
as we will hope) saved a man’s life, and perhaps the 
State, should be some satisfaction to you. You 
have covered yourself with glory, my dear fellow ! 
And you drew that red ballot? It’s wonderful.” 

“ Ah, sir, but I am very unhappy. I am really 
glad to have been the means of putting these facts 
before you ; but I hope I shall not be called upon 
again to make such a sacrifice, for I have lost Tom’s 
friendship by this.” 

“You deserve release from like duties, that’s 
sure,” agreed the Colonel. “ Well, you may go 
back to the Rifles ; you’ll find no trouble there now. 
Lieutenant Smead has agreed to take charge of the < 
company, and Cleft and most of the ranters have 
dropped out. It means another loyal company 
added to our forces.” \ 

“I am right glad to hear that, sir,” the youth 
said, heartily. “I hated to think of the National 
Rifles going out of existence.” ! 

Joe had sent Tom Marshall’s bag home by Mer- | 
cury, and he had no expectation of seeing either 
Tom or his sister near Chesney House. Therefore ' 
258 


T’he Eve of ax 


he was astonished when he returned from town, to 
hear Amy Marshall’s voice joined with Dollie’s in 
animated converse as he entered the hall. He was 
not anxious to see Tom’s sister just then and would 
have quietly passed by had not Amy observed him 
and run out. “Joe! Joe!” she called. “It is 
you, as much as Dollie, I came to see.” Joe ap- 
proached, looking a good deal like a culprit. He 
saw Dollie’s face framed in the drawing-room door- 
way and there Avas an expression upon it he did not 
understand. He began to wonder what he had done 
now to displease her. Amy marched up to him and 
seizing the lapels of his coat, held him fast. Her 
cheeks were flushed and her eyes danced. “Joe, 
you deceived me the other night ! ” she cried. 

The boy blushed deeply himself and lowered his 
gaze. “ I — I am sorry it was necessary to let you 
think Tom was here,” he muttered. 

“Yes, isn’t it shameful?” and Amy’s voice 
sounded hysterical. She clung tightly to Joe’s 
coat and it was impossible for him to get aAvay. 
“ I have been telling Dollie about it — how you 
came there hunting for Tom and kept me from 
knowing that he had left town, when I Avas fright- 
ened half to death over what Mr. Cleft said to him. 
I could not have kept the knowledge of Tom’s ab- 
sence from mother had I knoAvn, and — and then 
Avhat would have happened ? ” 

Joe glanced up at her in sudden astonishment. 

259 


T’he Eve ^ War 


He saw that her lips were smiling, if they did 
tremble, but the drops were shining in her eyes. 
“ Oh, I’ve told Dollie just what I think of you — 
how you saved mother and me from worrying 
about Tom, and how you followed him to Balti- 
more, and what you did for him there. I know all 
about it, Joe Kansom ! And I’ve told Tom what I 
think of him, too ! He’s confessed to me just what 
he said to you, and how you refused to shake hands 
with him this morning. And I believe you are 
right ! They can call you anything they like, but 
mother and I will always bless you — as long as we 
live we’ll bless you for what you’ve done I And if 
Dollie Chesney doesn’t know enough to appreciate 
such a brother as you, well, she doesn’t deserve to 
have you, that’s all ! ” 

“ Oh, hold on ! ” cried Joe, seeking to break away 
at this juncture. ‘‘Tom ought not to have told 
you. It wasn’t fair. You’ll get us both into 
trouble. Suppose folks should hear of this ? ” He 
glanced quickly at Dollie as he spoke. 

“Nobody knows it but we four — Dollie and I, 
and Tom and you. So if the story goes abroad you 
can easily find out who is guilty of telling,” Amy 
said, laughing. “ I don’t care what these other 
people say. I am a Southern girl, and I am glad 
my brother will fight for the South. I wish he 
could go to Charleston and fight for Mr. Beaure- 
gard, who they say is going to batter down the 
260 


The Eve ^ War 


walls of Fort Sumter. But I don’t care if you are 
a Yankee. You’re brave, and you’ve saved my 
brother from an awful thing! God bless you, Joe 
Kansom ! ” 

Joe managed to break away then. He dodged 
the excited and laughing girl and slipped into the 
house. Dollie stepped aside to let him pass. He 
dared not look at her again, and she did not offer 
to detain him. He ran up to his room and locked 
himself into it and sat down, in rather a perturbed 
frame of mind, wondering if Dollie would mention 
the matter to her uncle. “ If Philip learns what 
happened to Tom in Baltimore, this place won’t be 
big enough to hold both him and me, that’s sure- 
pop ! ” he muttered. “ That foolish girl ! And — 
and — what will Dollie think of me now ? ” 

And that was a query that Dollie herself could 
scarcely answer. Amy Marshall had come in upon 
her with rather a garbled account of the adventure 
which befell the boys in Baltimore, so that first 
Dollie was horrified by this proof of Joe’s entangle- 
ment with the Union cause, and then was proud 
of the courage and unselfish devotion displayed 
in his rescue of Tom from a conspiracy which 
shocked both girls. Tom had mentioned no names 
in his narrative, so neither Dollie nor Amy had the 
least idea that Philip Chesney was mixed up in the 
business. Now Dollie was torn with conflicting 
feelings again. 


261 


The Eve ^ War 


She must finally make up her mind that Joe was 
an enemy. There was no getting around that. 
He had irrevocably shown his colors, and was 
evidently ready to take up arms against the South 
which the girl loved with all her fiery soul! Yet, 
in spite of this, just now Dollie Chesney needed 
Joe Kansom as a friend more than she had ever 
needed him in her life before. Joe, as a sturdy, 
bullet-headed youngster, had fought many a battle 
for her ; few boys had cared to tease Miss Dollie 
after one encounter with Joe. He might tease her 
himself, as brothers will ; but woe to any outsider 
who tried it ! And for years she had confided in 
him more, even, than in any girl friend ; for 
secretly Dollie was proud of Joe’s good sense and 
forethought. 

And Dollie felt herself alone now. She was 
quite as lonely as Joe had been the month before, 
when all the world seemed turned against him. 
She was too proud to speak to Mr. Kirk, although 
the old lawyer visited the house every day or two. 
Dr. Prettyman only ran in to see the Major twice 
a day, and was off again. The physician was very 
much worried, and intimated that since Colonel 
Stone refused him the ordnance supplies for the 
company he tried to organize, he had been under 
surveillance and believed that he would really be 
forced to leave town. The doctor longed to 
actually take up arms for “the cause.” As for 
262 


The Eve ^ War 


Philip — well, Dollie would not admit it, yet in 
secret she had begun to doubt her uncle. He was 
so moody and changeable, she told herself, that she 
(lid not like to cross him ; the fact was, she was 
growing afraid of him. And his treatment of the 
servants hurt her, too. 

She was obliged to admit that Mr. Kirk’s prophecy 
had proven true. Philip was practically her guard- 
ian. The court had appointed, at her request. Dr. 
Prettyman ; but the physician did nothing but add 
his name to the documents prepared for him. 
Philip was rapidly getting the aifairs of his niece 
into his own hands. With the explanation that 
they might be obliged to leave Washington for the 
South upon short notice, Philip had removed from 
their former places of deposit the securities in 
which Major Chesney had invested his grand- 
daughter’s funds. These stocks and bonds, of 
course, could not be sold without Dr. Prettyman 
and Dollie knowing about it ; but their actual dis- 
posal was in Philip’s hands. He had placed them 
where he could have access to them. 

Added to all these fears and worries, was, as we 
iiave seen, Dollie’s belief that her grandfather was 
really no better. He moved his right hand a little, 
it was true ; but he could not utter a word and he 
grew thinner and weaker every day. It was only 
the day after Joe’s return from Baltimore that, 
urged by Mr. Kirk, Dollie asked Dr. Prettyman to 
263 


“The Eve of Wax 

call a consultation of physicians. Prettyman him- 
self was doubtful of his patient’s case now, and he 
seemed rather relieved to have his responsibility 
shared by some of his colleagues. Three of the 
best of Washington’s physicians came and diagnosed 
the case; but there was really nothing to do for 
him, just as Dr. Prettyman told the family the 
morning after he was taken ill. Science, nor 
medicine, could aid him but little ; he was too old 
to exert that measure of will-power which has 
sometimes brought patients out of such a condition 
into the road to health. All they could do was to 
hope on, and trust in God. 

When the physicians had gone, after stating this 
conclusion as gently as possible to Dollie, Joe and 
Mr. Kirk, Philip Chesney not being present, the 
lawyer took the boy aside and gave him certain in- 
structions, speaking in his usual emotionless man- 
ner, yet having hard work, Joe could see, to stifle 
an expression of the deep sorrow he felt because of 
his old friend’s condition. “You have been out of 
town lately, I understand, Joe,” said Mr. Kirk. “ I 
wish you hereafter to take the trouble to inform 
me when you go away, and where you are going.” 
Joe flushed and said nothing. He was inclined to 
think that the lawyer was using his power as 
guardian in a most arbitrary manner. “ Youth and 
enthusiasm are two very dangerous elements when 
brought into juxtaposition,” continued Kirk, with a 
264 


T'he Eve War 


grim smile. “ Your guardian, Major Chesney, is a 
Southern gentleman, and it would not, I feel sure, 
always be his pleasure that you should enter into 
engagements with those whom, I might say, can 
safely be termed Hhe enemy.’ Kemember this, 
idease,” and the gentleman turned away. 

‘‘ Then,” thought Joe, ‘‘ Mr. Kirk is a Southerner, 
too ! And I really suspected him of being for the 
Government.” 

The lawyer suddenly wheeled and spoke again : 
“ Besides, young man, you may be needed here at 
any moment. There is a person in this house who 
might want your help on short notice.” 

“ Do — do you really believe the Major is in such 
grave danger?” whispered Joe. 

The lawyer looked at him for a moment without 
replying. Then he said : “ Whether he is, or not, 

Master Kansom, Miss Dollie most certainly is in 
danger. Keep your eyes open, sir — keep your eyes 
open ! ” And with this remark he went away. 

But Joe was puzzled — vastly puzzled. He knew 
little about Dollie’s affairs. He did not like Dr. 
Prettyman, but he knew the physician to be honest. 
He felt confidence in his honorable administration 
of Dollie’s estate, and was far from suspecting that 
Philip was practically the trustee in place of Major 
Chesney. Turning this rather enigmatical ex- 
pression of the lawyer’s over in his mind, Joe 
strolled out of the house and approached the stable- 
265 


The Eve ^ War 


yard, where Uncle Luke was at work washing one 
of the carriages. “ Dese yere times de Chesney 
kerridge don’ cut no dash on de avahnoo,” Luke 
said, sadly, shaking his woolly head. Luke’s glory 
was his coachman’s livery. “ Seems laik nottin’ 
don’ go right erbout de place now, Mars’ Joe. 
What wid all dem docker folks in ter see ol’ Mars’, 
ah tell yo,’ honey, I’se mighty troubled in ma 
mind.” 

“ Things will come out all right by and by, Luke,” 
returned Joe, and walked on. But he did not be- 
lieve his own statement. It seemed to him, too, as 
though matters were in a tangle ; and he could not 
see the end of the thread. He reached the gate 
which opened into the lane and was about to 
unbar it when he heard voices approaching. He 
glanced through a crack of the high fence and saw 
Philip Chesney and Hat Cleft coming up the lane 
from the street. As they halted at the corner of 
the barn, and still continued to talk, Joe did not 
retreat, but listened instead. 

“Well, I’ve been frank enough with you. Cleft,” 
Chesney was saying. “ It’s^ a pretty pass when a 
man like me, the son of one of the wealthiest men 
in Washington, should be pressed for money. But 
that confounded Kirk balks me, and of course 
father is in no condition to help either me or him- 
self.” 

“ How is he ? ” asked Cleft, thoughtfully. 

266 


‘The Eve War 


“ Bad. I tell you, Cleft, I don’t believe he’s long 
for this world. They’ve got a consultation of doc- 
tors in there now — four of them. And when a man 
gets that far, he’s pretty badly off, eh ? ” 

“ Well, if he dies, how will you stand ? ” 

“ Oh, I’m his only heir. Fact is, there’s an un- 
signed will in which he leaves everything excepting 
a few small legacies to me. Kirk will put forward 
a claim for that Kansom boy ; but it won’t stand a 
minute, of course. Besides, I’m practically manager 
of Dollie’s estate.” 

“ Why don’t you raise it that way ? ” suggested 
Cleft. 

“ Well, you know Pretty man is really the trustee. 
I don’t want to force him. He’ll be leaving soon, 
now his company is broken up, and then he’ll dele- 
gate me properly to attend to the business. What 
I want is some of the ‘ready ’ now.” 

“Can’t keep away from the tables, can you, 
Chesney ? ” 

“ Great guns ! ” exclaimed Philip, in disgust, 
“ I’ve been as mild-mannered as a lamb for near a 
month and a half. I’m stagnating here. Got to 
have a little fling somehow. And as you are going 
South yourself, you can turn this trick for me — and 
it will net you a good sum, too. The man is worth 
a thousand of anybody’s money — you can see that ; 
and the boy will bring half as much. And I’m 
offering you fifty per cent, on the transaction. 

267 


i 


The Eve of TJ2 lX 


What more do you want? Niggers will be at a 
premium in Charleston to work on the fortifications. 
What say ? ” 

“ Well, I admit it’s a tempting proposition,” said 
Cleft. “ I’ll think it over and let you know,” and 
with that he turned away, while Philip came on 
toward the gate. Joe ran swiftly into the barn to 
get out of sight, but watched Chesney cross the 
yard. Luke had not seen this little by*play. He 
looked up and doffed his cap respectfully as the 
Major’s son strode past. The latter turned a smile, 
which was particularly grim, upon him. 

“ So you’re there, are you, Luke ? ” he said. 

Yaas, Mars’ Philip.” 

“Haven’t forgotten what I told you the other 
day, have you? You know, I don’t forget to pay 
my debts.” 

“ No, sah. Ah knows it, sah,” replied the black 
man, and turned to his work again. 

Philip watched him a minute with lowering brow, 
and then walked on. But Joe was meditating in 
the stable. “ Now,” he muttered, “ what did he 
mean? Is Philip Chesney a slave owner? If he 
owned such property why have we not heard of it 
before ? ” And the thought troubled him for some 
time. 


268 


CHAPTER XYII 


THE HOUR APPROACHES 

On February 13th the Electoral College officially 
declared Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin 
elected President and Vice-President of the United 
States. A day or two before, Mr. Lincoln had left 
his home to travel eastward, for the plans long 
since made were for him to approach Washington 
by the way of Hew York. It was true, as the 
Southerners said, no President had ever been elected 
by the people of the United States whose person- 
ality was so little known to the voters who had 
placed him in office. He had, practically, yet to be 
introduced to the country that had made him its 
Chief Magistrate. And as his train sped toward the 
sea, every town at which it stopped crowded with 
curious people, come, for the most part, to see him 
as they would to see Punchinello — who was there to 
prophesy that all they now saw of the President- 
elect would pass again that way, but then through 
crowds of weeping and crape-enshrouded people, 
who had learned to love the Man hidden behind 
his homely exterior. 

And perhaps the President-elect felt intuitively 
the fate which threatened him when, upon leaving 
269 


T^he Eve War 


his peaceful Springfield home, he spoke these words 
in parting with his fellow-townsmen : “ My friends : 
No one not in my situation can appreciate my feel- 
ing of sadness at this parting. To this place, and 
the kindness of these people, I owe everything. 
Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have 
passed from a young to an old man. Here my 
children have been born and one is buried. I now 
leave, not knowing when or whether ever I may re- 
turn, with a task before me greater than that which 
rested upon Washington. Without the assistance 
of that Divine Being who ever attended him, I can- 
not succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. 
Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain 
with you, and be everywhere for good, let us con- 
fidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care 
commending you, as I hope in your prayers you 
will commend me, I bid you an affectionate fare- 
well.” 

Washington during these few days was a seething 
cauldron of conflicting issues. And the man who 
had the most to do with keeping that unholy kettle 
from boiling over was the Chief of General W eight- 
man’s staff. Colonel Stone. Keports from Baltimore 
proved to the Inspector-General’s entire satisfaction 
that plans were perfected for the assassination of 
Mr. Lincoln in, or near, the Calvert Street railroad 
station, just as discovered by young Joe Kansom. 
The officials of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and 
270 


The Eve ^ War 


Baltimore Kailroad had been warned of plans to 
wreck the President’s train. It was discovered that 
gangs of railroad employees were drilling nightly, 
being sworn to destroy the roads and rolling stock 
of the various companies, so as to prevent the mass- 
ing of troops at Washington. This plot was so 
widespread that Colonel Stone had intimations of it 
by letter from St. Louis, New York, Chicago, and 
other cities, and Mr. Felton, president of the Phila- 
delphia, Wilmington and Baltimore road, received 
corroborative evidence of the existence of the plot 
from no less a person than Miss Dorothea L. Dix, 
the well-known Southern philanthropist, whose op- 
portunities for gaining trustworthy information 
while visiting hospitals and mingling in Southern 
society, were unusual. 

The situation had been regarded by the railroad 
officials as so serious that on February 1st Mr. Allan 
Pinkerton was brought from Chicago, with a large 
force of detectives, male and female, and set at work 
in Baltimore in the interests of the railway com- 
pany. Through Mr. Bookstaver Colonel Stone had 
learned of the presence of the Pinkerton forces in 
Baltimore, and although his own men and the rail- 
road’s employees were working entirely independent 
of each other, the Inspector-General desired much 
to compare notes with the great detective. Espe- 
cially did he wish this as the time for Mr. Lincoln’s 
inaugural drew near. The plans of the Presidential 
271 


T^he Eve of W2ir 


party were well-known, and up to this date no 
change had been made in them. Mr. Lincoln 
seemed determined to pass through the danger zone 
of Baltimore. 

Early on the morning of February 21st, the 
darky from the Washington stable brought a note 
from Colonel Stone to Chesney House and it was 
delivered to Joe at the breakfast table. Luckily, it 
was before Dollie and Philip appeared, so the ar- 
rival of the message was known to nobody except- 
ing Mercury who let the stable-boy in and stood 
eyeing the messenger with much disfavor because, 
as he later explained to Joe, he “ warn’t notten’ but 
jes’ a common, or’nary free nigger ! ’’ 

The note was a simple request for Joe to call at 
the War Department immediately, and did not in- 
dicate the nature of the business upon which the 
officer wished to see the boy. Joe obeyed promptly, 
for he was a soldier and Colonel Stone was, in a 
sense, his superior officer ; but he certainly was not 
prepared for the business upon which the Inspector- 
General desired to interview him. 

“ How is Major Chesney, young man ? ” was the 
Colonel’s greeting, looking up from the papers be- 
fore him the moment Joe arrived. 

“ He seems about the same, sir. He does not im- 
prove any, that I can see.” 

“ Do you feel like leaving him for a day or two ? ” 
was the Colonel’s next query. 

272 


The Eve War 


“ Why, no, sir, I don’t ! I don’t wish to leave 
him and, as I told you before, I do not care to do 
any more such work as was previously forced upon 
me.” 

The Colonel smiled grimly. “ This matter isn’t 
of the same nature. I wish you to do an errand for 
me ; that is all.” 

“ But I cannot leave home now.” 

“ Because of your guardian’s condition ? ” 

“ Because Mr. Kirk won’t let me, sir.” 

Humph ! what’s he got to do with it ? ” 

“ He is my guardian pro tern — or so he says.” 

‘‘ And in this case you are rather glad of it, eh ? ” 
suggested Colonel Stone, shrewdly. “How, Han- 
som, listen to me. Facts have been thrown in your 
way, the knowledge of which has helped us all ma- 
terially. This that I would like you to do for 
me is something that you only can do, or I should 
send a man, not a boy.” Joe flushed a little at this, 
but was silent. Doubtless the words were intended 
by the crafty Colonel to sting his young friend’s 
pride. 

“I cannot ask you as an officer of the United 
States to do this for me. I am speaking now in my 
character as a private citizen,” and he smiled less 
grimly. “ Would you wish. Master Kansom, to have 
your discovery of the plot against the life of Mr. 
Lincoln go for nothing ? ” 

“ He’s not going to Baltimore ? ” gasped Joe. 

273 


The Eve ^ War 


“ His plans have not been changed, as far as I 
can learn. He arrives in Philadelphia this evening, 
and it seems that the warnings his friends have re- 
ceived will not change his determination to pass 
openly through Baltimore. I suppose he cannot un- 
derstand the fanatical feeling that prevails against 
him in that town. I have received from Kennedy’s 
men, as well as from other sources, reports that 
there is imminent danger threatening Mr. Lincoln. 
Your having drawn the red ballot at that meeting 
seems not to have called a halt, after all. One 
might think there were several of the conspirators 
who likewise drew the crimson paper.^ I tell you,” 
pursued the Colonel, “delay may be fatal. I do 
not know how much the Pinkerton men have 
learned. Bookstaver tells me that Allan Pinker- 
ton himself is, or has been, in Baltimore. How, 
Ransom, I want you to go there and find Pinker- 
ton, and tell him about that meeting you at- 
tended.” 

“ But I believe Mr. Pinkerton must already know 
all about it,” cried Joe, yet with sparkling eyes. 
The thought of seeing the great detective charmed 
the boy. “ Mr. Bookstaver told me one of Pinker- 
ton’s men was there that night.” 

“ Hot at the meeting ; merely in the building,” 

‘ Unknown to the twenty men who took part in that famous 
meeting, eight red ballots had been placed in the box from which 
they drew — ^a fact not generally known until long afterward. 

274 


The Eve ^ War 


rejoined Colonel Stone. “ Of course, this is simply 
a request, as I have said. It is aside from my of- 
ficial duty. When I handed in my report to Gen- 
eral Scott, my work was finished. But Mr. Pinker- 
ton is an independent party. If he considers the 
peril warrants him to do so, he can approach Mr. 
Lincoln himself, or the men closely associated with 
him.” 

“ But how can I find Mr. Pinkerton ? ” cried Joe. 
“ I don’t know him ; he won’t see me ; Pm only a 
boy.” 

“ Another reason for your going. In this case a 
boy may go where a man would fail. As for find- 
ing him, Bookstaver will meet you at the Baltimore 
station ; he will introduce you to one of Pinker- 
ton’s most famous detectives, Timothy Webster, 
and he can tell you where his chief is, if he thinks 
it wise. Mr. Pinkerton may know just as much as 
you do, as you say ; but your telling him your story 
won’t hurt matters, and it will add to the weight 
of testimony. It may save Mr. Lincoln’s life. 
Will you go ? ” 

“ I shall have to ask Mr. Kirk’s permission, sir. 
He really forbade my going away again. He — he 
does not sympathize with us, I believe, sir.” 

The Colonel stared at him for a moment. “ Oh, 
he doesn’t, eh?” he cried. “Well, that’s news to 
me. Will you take a letter from me to him ? ” 

“ Yes, sir.” 


275 


The Eve of W2 lv 


“ And if he gives you permission to go, you’ll 
obey me ? ” 

“I can do no less, sir,” returned Joe, gravely. 
“ If anything I can do will aid in saving Mr. Lin- 
coln, I’m ready.” 

“ You will start at once, then,” said Colonel 
Stone, with confidence, drawing paper toward him 
and dipping his pen in the ink-well. “ There is a 
train in less than an hour.” 

‘‘ But Mr. Kirk ? ” 

The Colonel scratched off a line and folded the 
paper, handing it, with a banknote, to his young 
friend. “You need not come back here. Go to 
Baltimore and get off the train. Hang around 
there until Bookstaver finds you. He won’t be 
long. And remember : haste is imperative.” 

Joe took the paper doubtfully. “He — he may 
refuse, sir.” 

“ Bead it ! ” commanded the Colonel, turning his 
back on him. “ Kow, be quick ! ” 

The boy turned away, unfolding the paper as he 
went, and read the words thereon with much amaze- 
ment : “ On a matter of life or death.” There 

was no signature ; nothing at all but Colonel Stone’s 
chirography to identify the writer. It looked to 
Joe Kansom as though he were bound on a foolish 
and fruitless errand. But obedience had become 
habitual to him, and he marched from the War De- 
partment to the office of Major Chesney’s attorney 
276 


T'he Eve of 'WdiV 


and delivered the folded paper to a clerk. In a 
moment he was sent for and found the tall lawyer 
standing with his back to a glowing coal fire and 
the long tails of his black coat gathered over his 
arm to keep them from scorching in the blaze. The 
lawyer favored him with a quick glance, read the 
paper again, and then dropped it carefully into the 
fire. As the blackened ghost of the letter swirled 
up the chimney, he asked: “What is this busi- 
ness in which Colonel Stone desires — er — your 
aid?” 

Joe started, astounded that the lawyer should be 
so familiar with the Inspector-General’s handwrit- 
ing. But he was slow to repeat the business as the 
Colonel had explained it to him. “ It’s regarding a 
matter that came under my notice when I was in 
Baltimore the other day,” he stammered. 

“ The plot against Mr. Lincoln’s life, sir ? ” 

“ Ye — yes.” 

“ Humph ! You evidently consider that I am 
not — er — favorably inclined toward Mr. Lincoln 
and his affairs ? ” queried the lawyer, drily. Joe 
was silent ; and Mr. Kirk continued with a queer 
little smile hovering about his broad mouth : 
“ There is one very good reason why I wish to see 
Mr. Lincoln inaugurated. They tell me he is even 
homelier than I am, and I’d really like to see if it is 
so. I’m so busy myself that, if he doesn’t come 
here to — er — take up his residence in the White 
277 


The Eve of Wax 


House, I’m afraid I shall never see him,” and the 
lawyer sighed. 

“Then I can go?” cried Joe, awaking to the 
fact that he had been somewhat mistaken regarding 
Mr. Kirk’s political opinions. 

“ I suppose you may. I shall try to keep a closer 
watch on Chesney House myself, however. Is — er 
— Philip still there ? ” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Ah — yes. Well,” said the lawyer, reflectively, 
“ I shall never feel contented in my mind until he is 
gone.” 

“ Is he going away, sir ?” asked Joe, interested. 

“ Oh, yes ; he is going away,” said the gentleman, 
drily ; “ but perhaps he does not know it yet,” and 
with this remark he waved the boy out of his pri- 
vate office. Joe thought much upon the observa- 
tion as he hurried to the railway station. 

But the business in hand soon drove all other 
thoughts out of his mind. Joe Kansom by no 
means lacked that quality of imagination which 
surrounds with a halo of romance the profession of 
the detection of crime. In other words he was a 
boy, and no boy ever lived who has not, at some 
time, dreamed of being a detective ! And he had 
been sent to interview a man who, he had heard, 
was the most famous and successful of his profes- 
sion. How could he be supposed to think of any- 
thing else, and is it strange that he forgot to 
278 


'The Eve of 


send home any warning of his absence from the 
city? 

Mr. Lincoln was to arrive in Philadelphia that 
very afternoon. In that city he would, on the fol- 
lowing day, raise the flag over Independence Hall ; 
then he would visit the Legislature at Harrisburg. 
He was to pass through Baltimore on the twenty- 
third, arriving (if he lived) at Washington that 
night. This was the published program, and Joe 
Kansom was confident that, if it were followed, 
Abraham Lincoln would never be inaugurated. 
Too many men had declared that “no Yankee 
should ever sit in the Presidential chair!” It 
seemed strange to Joe that the President-elect and 
his friends should doubt the existence of the plot 
against his life ; but it was the very awfulness of it, 
and the seeming uncertainty of detail, that caused 
their doubt. 

When he leaped from the train at the Baltimore 
station, Joe glanced about anxiously for the detect- 
ive whom he had met under such peculiar circum- 
stances when previously in the city. But the crowd 
had thinned out before he felt a light touch on his 
arm, and glancing up quickly noticed the man who 
had passed him. It was Bookstaver, but he did not 
turn to look at the boy again, nor did he allow Joe 
to catch up with him, until they were clear of the 
railroad station. “ Anybody follow you from 
Washington ? ” was the man’s first question. 

279 


T'he Eve of "Wz-v 


“ Not that I saw. Nobody whom I knew was on 
the train.” 

“ How long before you started did you know you 
were to come ? ” 

“ Less than an hour, sir.” 

“ Good ! ” exclaimed the detective. ‘‘ Like enough 
you are unsuspected, then. Glad to see you again, 
young man ! ” and he shook hands. “Now, do you 
know what you are to do ? ” 

“ Find Allan Pinkerton.” 

“ Humph ! Well, that’s not an easy one. I 
think we’ll modify that. We’ll find Tim Webster. 
Then, if you go farther — well, it’ll be his business, not 
mine. I don’t even know what you want to see Mr. 
Pinkerton for.” Then he noticed Joe’s solemn face 
and laughed. “ Oh, I’m not curious, young man ! 
And if I were I wouldn’t tackle you.” 

They turned up a street out of the square before 
the station and were quickly lost in a maze of high- 
ways as unfamiliar to Joe as the streets which he 
had traversed on that memorable night when he 
followed his unknown guide to the rendezvous of 
the conspirators. Suddenly Bookstaver dove into a 
doorway, dragging his companion with him, and 
they mounted two flights of narrow stairs in si- 
lence. They were in an old office building, a grimy 
and unpleasant place enough. On the third floor, 
Bookstaver rapped at a door, and then entered with- 
out waiting for a reply to his summons. The light 
280 


"The Eve ^ War 


through a cobwebbed window fell across a desk-table 
at which a man in a linen duster, in lieu of an 
office-coat, was seated. 

“ Well ? ” said the man, without looking around. 

“ Dave Bookstaver,” said the detective, repeating 
his own name. ‘‘ Got a friend to see Mr. Webster. 
Sent word this morning.” 

“ All right.” The man looked around and seemed 
to take in Joe with a single glance from head to toe. 
“I’ve seen him before,” said the man, but not in sur- 
prise. Joe was astonished, nevertheless, for he re- 
membered seeing this man in a waiter’s coat and 
apron the night he was conducted to the hall over 
the cafe where the conspirators met. “ Who’s he 
from ? ” 

“ Colonel Charles P. Stone, Inspector-General of 
the District of Columbia, sent him. I vouch for 
him.” 

“ All right. You can go.” 

Bookstaver seemed quite undisturbed by this 
brusqueness, and departed without another word to 
the stranger, nor to Joe himself. The latter waited 
to be addressed, and finally the man, who had 
turned his back again, grunted : “ What’s up ? ” 

Joe felt more than a little doubtful, but he had 
had his instructions, and Bookstaver seemed to 
show confidence in this man. So he said : “ I have 

been sent to find Mr. Pinkerton.” 

“Humph! What for?” 

281 


The Eve War 


On a personal matter. Colonel Stone wishes 
me to tell him something, and I am not told to re- 
peat my business to anybody else.” 

“Personal matter, eh? Well, Mr. Pinkertoii is 
not to be seen on any personal matter at present.” 

“Are — are you Mr. Webster?” queried Joe, 
doubtfully. 

“I am,” said the man, glancing around again. 
He did not exactly look the hero of the many ad- 
ventures attributed to him by the public press, and 
from his appearance Joe Kansom would not have 
prophesied his meteoric career of the next fourteen 
months, as General McClellan’s chief spy within the 
Confederate lines, ending so sadly with the brave 
fellow’s execution in Kichmond on April 30, 1862. 
Finally Webster said: “Mr. Pinkerton is not in 
the city, young man.” 

“ But I must see him — I must find him ! ” cried 
Joe. “ It is really of importance.” 

“ Whether it is or not, he is not here.” 

“ Can you tell me where he is ? ” 

“No, sir ; I cannot. I would not be allowed to.” 
Joe’s face fell, but Webster continued : “ However, 

if you wish to go on with this I will give you a note 
to a Mr. Hutchinson — Mr. J. H. Hutchinson — who 
may be able to tell you something further about the 
man you seek.” 

“Thank you, sir. 1 must find Mr. Pinkerton 
if possible. Colonel Stone would not have sent 
282 


The Eve ^ War 


me had he not considered the matter import- 
ant.’’ 

“ Well, I’ll write it.” He did so, the note being 
very brief. But he sealed it in an envelope before 
he handed it to the boy, and there was no super- 
scription on the outside of the wrapper. “ Ask for 
Mr. Hutchinson at the St. Louis Hotel in Philadel- 
phia.” 

“ In Philadelphia ! ” cried Joe. 

“Well, aren’t you prepared to go as far as Phila- 
delphia?” 

“ I am prepared to go there if I must to find Mr. 
Pinkerton,” replied the boy. 

“ Oh, as to that, I can’t tell you,” said Webster, 
coolly. “Hutchinson will decide that. I have 
nothing further to do with it.” 

Joe was rather piqued. “Well, sir, I shall find 
Mr. Allan Pinkerton if possible. That is what I 
am sent from Washington for,” and he turned to 
the door. 

“ Humph ! you’ll do, after all, young man ! ” ex- 
claimed Webster. “Here’s a time-card of the 
trains. You’d better hurry. You’ll have difii- 
I culty in making quick connections if you don’t,” 
1 and he called the hour of the train’s departure 
|i after Joe. 

The latter waited for no further words. He 
j tore down the stairs to the street, asked the first 
I police officer he saw the direction of the Philadel- 
283 


The Eve of WdiX 


phia station, and ran all the way there. Not until 
he was aboard the train and it was creeping out of 
the city, did he consider that he might be upon a 
wild-goose chase, after all. He did not seem to 
have gotten any nearer to Mr. Pinkerton than he 
was before ; but he was now bound for the city in 
which Mr. Lincoln himself was to arrive on this 
very day. 


284 


CHAPTEE XYIII 


THE MAN OF THE HOUR 

The record of no city of the New World is 
brightened by so many red letter days in its history 
as Philadelphia, and few were more momentous, or 
brought together a greater concourse of people, 
than February 22 , 1861 . The celebration of Wash- 
ington’s Birthday was to be marked by the raising 
of the flag over Independence Hall by the hands of 
the President-elect — this man out of the West whom 
so few knew. Every train which reached the city 
on the twenty-first was crowded with visitors and 
sight-seers. The hotels were fllled ; the streets 
were thronged by an enthusiastic as well as curi- 
ous crowd, and as the hour for the arrival of Mr. 
Lincoln and his party drew near, the streets and 
squares about the railway station became so solidly 
packed with humanity that vehicles could scarcely 
get through the press. 

Fortunately Joe Eansom arrived from the South 
some hours previous to this. He found, without 
much difficulty, the rather obscure hostlery to 
which Timothy Webster had sent him, and pre- 
senting himself at the desk he asked anxiously for 
Mr. Hutchinson. Mr. Hutchinson seemed a person 
285 


T'he Eve of Wiax 


of no particular consequence, for the clerk glanced 
down the registered list of guests first before he 
announced the number of his room. A bell-boy led 
the visitor up-stairs and, stopping before a door, 
rapped sharply upon the panel. “ Enter ! ” ex- 
claimed a brisk voice, and as the boy left him, Joe 
turned the knob and stepped into the apartment. 

There faced him, sitting in his shirt-sleeves by 
the window, a heavily-built man of some forty 
years of age, alert in manner, with deeply-set eyes, 
a square countenance, its lower portion covered 
with a thick black beard in which were already a 
few gray threads, the upper lip smoothly shaven, 
and the man altogether having the appearance of a 
shrewd, successful country merchant or farmer. 
There was in his eyes a bovine calmness which indi- 
cated a nature not easily rufiled. It would not have 
mattered who entered the room; Joe believed the 
man would have sat there with the same indiffer- 
ence and asked as calmlv as he did now: ‘‘Well, 
sir?’’ 

“ Mr. J. H. Hutchinson ? ” asked the boy, diffi- 
dently. 

“ Well ? ” 

“I have a note for you from Mr. Webster,” said 
Joe, hesitating at the man’s non-committal answer. 
He wondered if all these people who surrounded Mr. 
Pinkerton betrayed so much caution when they 
were asked their names ? The man stretched out 
286 


The Eve of 


his hand for the envelope without another word. 
When Mr. Hutchinson had perused its contents he 
tore up the note and asked : 

“ What is your name ? ” 

“ Kansom, sir. I come from Colonel Charles P. 
Stone, Inspector-General of the District of Colum- 
bia, and wish to personally see Mr. Allan Pinker- 
ton.” 

The man nodded. “I see. What have you to 
say to him ? ” 

“ I was not told to tell that to anybody but Mr. 
Pinkerton himself.” 

“ You were not forbidden to speak to anybody 
else?” 

“ Ho, sir. But I judged ” 

“ Is it your business to judge ? ” interrupted the 
gentleman, sharply. 

Joe flushed, saying warmly: “I presume I am 
supposed to use my own judgment on occasion. 
This matter upon which Colonel Stone sent me is 
very important, or so he seemed to think. I was 
to see Mr. Pinkerton personally.” 

“ You were told to relate to him what occurred 
in a certain room in Baltimore on the evening of 
February eighth — eh, sir ? ” asked his questioner. 

“Ye — yes, sir.” 

“ Tell me.” 

“ But Mr. Pinkerton ” 

“Kelate your story to me. I am obliged to 
287 


The Eve ^ War 


Colonel Stone, but I hope he hasn’t sent me an 
idiot ! ” 

Joe Kansom made up his mind then and there 
that he liked this man less than any person with 
whom he had ever come in contact. There was some- 
thing in Mr. Hutchinson’s look, however, that for- 
bade hesitancy. True, he had been sent to inter- 
view the great Pinkerton himself ; but this lieuten- 
ant seemed to be a bar which he could not get over. 
So, very loath, he dropped into a seat unasked and 
told his story just as he had related it to the In- 
spector-General upon his return from Baltimore the 
morning after the conspirators’ meeting. When he 
had finished Mr. Hutchinson asked a question : 
“ Who were the men ? their names, young man ? ” 

“ I only knew two.” 

Well ? ” 

“ I have not told Colonel Stone who they were 
and I shall not tell you,” said Joe, drily. 

“ Indeed ! ” exclaimed the other. Then a little 
smile curled the corners of his mouth. “ Well, I 
guess I have a pretty complete list of them. . . . 
And you were one of those who drew a red ballot, 
eh?” 

“ I am the one who drew the red ballot, yes, sir.” 

“ Humph ! you were not the only one, young 
man. It looks now as though, if Mr. Lincoln goes 
through Baltimore, there will be plenty of them 
waiting for him.” 


288 


The Eve War 


“ Oh, sir, he must be stopped ! ” cried the boy. 
“ Colonel Stone is very anxious that Mr. Pinkerton 
shall see the President.” 

“ I reckon I know about what Colonel Stone 
would say,” interrupted the man, again. “ Let me 
see, young man — your name is Kansom ? A South- 
erner ? ” 

Joe admitted it, and then, under questioning, un- 
willingly related the most important facts in his 
own personal history. He felt as though Mr. 
Hutchinson did not consider his news of much 
moment after all, and he doubted if he would meet 
Allan Pinkerton, either. He felt half angry that 
he had come, and certainly his self-importance had 
quite dwindled away during these few minutes. At 
length Hutchinson said, eyeing him sharply the 
while : “ I think I can use you, Kansom. You will 
remain here, I suppose, over Washington’s Birth- 
day ? ” 

“ I had not thought of it,” returned Joe, both 
astonished and displeased by the coolness with 
which the man seemed to consider he was placed 
under his commands. “ I am not here under Colo- 
nel Stone’s order, sir ; it was simply at his request 
that I came.” 

“ Yes, yes. Well, you may be useful just the 
same,” remarked Hutchinson, drawing a writing 
pad from his pocket and scrawling a line upon the 
first page, which he proceeded to tear off. 

289 


The Eve ^ War 

“ But, sir, my message to Mr. Pinkerton ? ” de- 
manded Joe. 

“I’ll deliver it. I’ll deliver it, young man,” re- 
turned Hutchinson, quickly. “ You can do an 
errand for me.” 

“ I don’t know that I care to,” said Joe, rising 
abruptly. 

The other lifted his head and stared the boy into 
confusion in a few silent moments. “ I rather think 
you would better, sir,” he said, finally. “ You 
know too much for your own good ; but I believe 
you to be honest. If you don’t care to do me a 
favor, you may consider it a favor to Colonel 
Stone.” Joe remained silent, feeling very foolish. 
He had been treated like a man so much of late 
that his pride was hurt. He felt antagonistic to 
this gentleman just as he did to Mr. Kirk, be- 
cause neither of them seemed to consider him any- 
thing but a boy. “ You are quite a brave little 
fellow, I fancy,” continued Hutchinson, and in a 
tone calculated to add to Joe’s disgust. “ You’re 
interested in Mr. Lincoln’s safety, too. Now, this 
errand I want you to do for me is connected with 
the President’s affairs. I wish you to take this line 
to one of Mr. Lincoln’s friends.” 

“ Where ? ” stammered Joe, beginning to wonder 
if he was to be sent upon another journey. 

“ Not out of the city. He will come with Mr. 
Lincoln and be in close attendance upon him. I 
290 


The Eve of War 


wish you to put this paper into the hand of Mr. 
Norman B. Judd, of Chicago. Do you know him ? ” 
“ No, sir. I have only read his name in the 
papers.” 

“ Quite so. Well,” and the gentleman proceeded 
to minutely describe Mr. Judd, who was one of 
Lincoln’s closest friends. “ He will ride in all prob- 
ability in the carriage with Mr. Lincoln from the 
depot to the Continental Hotel at the corner of 
Ninth and Chestnut Streets, where the President 
will be entertained. Get down that way, some- 
where near Broad Street where the crowd will be 
densest, and put yourself in the very front. When 
the carriage passes, slip this paper into Mr. Judd’s 
hand. You’ll stand a good show of escaping detec- 
tion there. Oh ! ” as he noted Joe’s countenance, 
“ if you happen to get arrested Pll look out for you. 
This is nothing criminal. Read the paper,” and he 
thrust it into Joe’s hand. 

All that was written thereon was : “ St. Louis 
Hotel. Ask for J. H. Hutchinson.” “ But,” cried 
the boy, “ suppose they ask me what it means ? ” 
‘‘You don’t know,” returned Mr. Hutchinson, 
drily. “ That’s why I send you. Now hurry. It 
is not long to train time.” 

Afterward, Joe asked himself why he did it; but 
he was on the street and a block away before he 
had decided to refuse ! Then he looked at the 
paper in his hand and it was too late. He never 
291 


T"he Eve ^ War 


had been treated so curtly in all his life. Never- 
theless, the mission given him was not one to be 
shirked. The fact that the meaning of the scrawl 
on the paper was shrouded in mystery fired the 
boy’s imagination. He knew that he must deliver 
the paper into Mr. Judd’s hand as circumspectly 
as possible, too, and in planning for this, and in 
working his way to Chestnut Street and then through 
the crowd to Broad, he forgot his wrath at the 
crusty Mr. Hutchinson. 

The advice given him had been most excellent. 
To come within sight of the Continental Hotel 
would have been utterly impossible. The throng 
here at the corner of Broad Street, one of the city’s 
widest thoroughfares, was bad enough. Joe was 
half an hour in worming his way through to the 
front, where police and soldiers tried to keep a way 
open for the carriages of Mr. Lincoln and his party. 
But where a boy cannot get in a crowd, it is not 
worth getting, and in the end Joe arrived at the 
coveted position. 

It was not an easy place to hold. The multitude 
swayed back and forth like the surges of the sea. 
Finally, cheering began blocks away. The train 
had arrived. The noise grew louder and the strug- 
gle of men and women to see what was going on, 
over the heads of those in front, was terrific. Joe, 
clutching wrists with men on either side, helped 
the police hold the line back. The cavalry escort 
292 


The Eve of '^slx 


cantered slowly down the street, the well- trained 
horses forcing a wider passage for the carriages of 
the presidential party. The street reechoed' with 
cheers. The carriage in which Mr. Lincoln and his 
friends sat was close at hand. 

Joe, peering between two policemen, saw the tall 
hat of the President, which towered high above the 
headgear of the other gentlemen in the carriage. But 
the boy could not observe the features of Mr. Lincoln. 
He was too busy looking for the man whom he had 
been sent to meet. At length he spied him, sitting 
directly opposite the hero of the occasion. There 
could be no mistaking his face, and breaking 
through the cordon of police, Joe sprang to the 
side of the slowly moving vehicle. Mr. Judd felt 
the boy’s touch upon his arm and turned instantly. 
Joe thrust the folded paper into his hand and the 
next instant a burly policeman seized him and flung 
him back into the crowd. “ Doan’t be thryin’ ter 
sha-ake th’ Prisidint’s hand here, ye spalpane ! ” 
exclaimed the wrathful officer. The by-play of the 
delivery of the note had not been observed ; but 
Joe saw that Mr. Judd was reading the strange 
message. 

And then Joe Kansom wondered what he should 
do ? Here he was in Philadelphia, without an idea 
as to his next move. For, by this time, he was 
quite determined not to return to Washington until 
Mr. Lincoln was safe, or 

293 


"The Eve ^ War 


He would not pursue that thought to its logical 
end. It was enough to say that he would stay for 
the flag-raising the next morning, and the cere- 
monies to follow. So, being weary enough, now 
that the present excitement was over, Joe sought 
out a restaurant and rested while he ate his much 
needed dinner. Next he started to hunt for a room 
and then it was that he discovered just how thronged 
with visitors Philadelphia was. Not a hotel at 
which he applied could offer him accommodations. 
By and by, remembering the St. Louis Hotel where 
Mr. Hutchinson stopped, he made his way to it. 
He was not anxious to meet that crusty gentleman 
again, but as he approached the clerk’s desk to in- 
quire for a room, Joe heard a man standing there ask : 
“ Is Mr. J. H. Hutchinson at this hotel ? ” 

Joe glanced at the speaker quickly and recognized 
Mr. Norman B. Judd, the man to whom he had 
given the scrap of paper that afternoon. Mr. Judd 
turned at the moment, too, and recognized the boy. 
‘‘ Ah ! you can tell me where he is, I have no 
doubt ? ” said Mr. Judd, quickly, bending a pair of 
very sharp eyes on Joe. The clerk was calling for 
a bell-boy, but Joe nodded to the Chicago gentle- 
man. “ I’ll show you up to Mr. Hutchinson’s room, 
if you like, sir,” he said. 

“ Lead away,” said Judd. 

Mr. Hutchinson already has a visitor, sir,” called 
the clerk as they left the office. 

294 


The Eve ^ War 


“ And he’ll have another in a minute,” returned 
the Chicago man, as he hurried Joe up the stairs. 
“ I’ve had the worst time of my life getting here,” 
he added, confidentially. “ Such a crowd as there 
is at the Continental Hotel I never saw ! This is 
very mysterious, young man. Who is this Mr. 
Hutchinson ? ” 

But Joe could not tell him that had he wanted 
to. So he simply shook his head and kept on up 
the two flights of stairs. At the door of the room 
in question he knocked and heard again the brisk 
voice say : “ Enter ! ” “ Go on — go right along ! ” 

exclaimed Mr. Judd, behind him, and he fairly 
pushed Joe ahead of him into the room. As the 
boy marched in he noticed that there was another 
gentleman sitting with Mr. Hutchinson and that the 
latter had his coat on now. While Mr. J udd closed 
the door Hutchinson turned a sharp glance on Joe 
and demanded : “ Is this the way you have learned 

to obey orders, young man ? Did I tell you to bring 
Mr, Judd here ? ” 

I didn’t. I just heard him inquiring for you 
down-stairs. I came back to get a room for the 
night,” said Joe, turning to depart. 

But his companion stepped forward suddenly, 
exclaiming : “ Why, Mr. Pinkerton ! ” 

At the words Joe flashed an amazed glance from 
Hutchinson to the other man. The latter, smiling 
quietly, looked at Hutchinson, who said, brusquely : 

295 


The Eve of Tfzx 


“Never mind that here, Mr. Judd. I am Hutchin- 
son, please. Let me introduce Mr. Felton, president 
of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore 
Kailroad. It is my business to bring you two gen- 
tlemen together, and you will find, Mr. Judd, that 
the matter upon which we have called you for a 
conference is serious. Oh ! you can go, boy,” to 
Joe, who had been struck dumb and motionless by 
the discovery that the man to whom he had taken 
such a dislike was Allan Pinkerton himself. 

“ One moment ! ” cried Mr. Judd. “ Is that your 
boy, Pinkerton ? ” 

“ No. But he did the errand for me. He comes 
from Washington and is recommended by Colonel 
Stone, of General Weightman’s staff.” 

“Have him wait,” said Mr. Judd. “If I am 
detained here long I shall have to send word to the 
Continental.” 

“ Better wait outside the door, then, Kansom,” 
said Pinkerton, briefly, with a wave of his hand. 
“ I may want you to tell your story to Mr. Judd, 
anyway.” 

And Joe obeyed as meekly as a lamb. The situ- 
ation was too engrossing for him to allow any petty 
dislike to disturb him just then. He saw that, 
despite his brusque manner, Mr. Pinkerton con- 
sidered him of some importance. And that con- 
ference in the hotel room was of much moment, he 
was sure. At last he was right in the midst of the 
296 


rhe Eve of War 


game, the moves of which he had seen from a dis- 
tance for nearly two months. These men were 
Mr. Lincoln’s friends, and while he waited without 
the door Joe knew that a plan was being formu- 
lated within for the safety of the President. After 
nearly an hour the boy was called into the room 
and told by Mr. Pinkerton to “ speak his piece.” 

“ Gentlemen, I need no further evidence ! ” ex- 
claimed Mr. Judd, looking extremely worried, as 
well he might. “ Let us go to the President. Mr. 
Lincoln must hear your report, Pinkerton, and you 
must come too, Mr. Felton. This plan you suggest 
seems the wise thing to do ; but whether we can 
make Mr. Lincoln accede to it — ah ! bring the boy. 
Let him tell his story, also. Mr. Lincoln is not a 
man to run away from a fancied danger, and you 
will find him a hard person to move, gentlemen.” 

“Very well,” said Allan Pinkerton, rising 
briskly, and putting his papers in his pocket again. 
“ Call a carriage,” he said to J oe, dismissing him 
as coolly as Joe himself would have dismissed 
Mercury. It galled the youth to be treated so in- 
differently, but he ran to obey, determined to suf- 
fer any humiliation rather than lose a part of this 
great incident. He was back with the carriage 
in ten minutes and rode on the driver’s seat to 
within a block of the Continental hotel. The 
vehicle could go no farther for the excited concourse 
which completely surrounded the building. There 
297 


T^he Eve ^ War 

was but one Avay of getting in, and that was by the 
servants’ entrance in the rear and to this door the 
three gentlemen and the boy made their way. 

They forced a passage into the hotel and with 
much difficulty mounted the stairway toward Mr. 
Judd’s room. Mr. Lincoln was in one of the large 
parlors, surrounded by a crush of men and women^ 
including the best people of the city, who had 
gathered to welcome him and assure him of their 
support in the National crisis then pending. Mr. 
Judd saw that to reach the President-elect with his 
companions would be impossible and stopping a 
gentleman who was coming down the stairs, he 
said: “Mr. Nicolay, tell Mr. Lincoln that I have 
brought some friends to my room who must see 
him immediately.” Then he whispered a sentence 
in the private secretar3^’s ear that made that gentle- 
man pale perceptibly and hurry away on his 
errand. All the party could do then was to press 
on to Mr. Judd’s apartment and await the coming 
of the new Chief Magistrate. 

And never would Joe Kansom forget those 
moments of waiting. The gentlemen did not 
speak. Mr. Judd walked the floor, casting anxious 
glances toward the door every instant ; Mr. Felton 
sat with his eyes gloomily fixed upon the carpet at 
his feet ; Allan Pinkerton “ shrugged ” down in his 
chair, drew out the reports of his various assistants 
and went over them again. The suspense affected 
298 


’The Eve ^ War 


the boy’s nerves greatly. Nor was this mental 
strain lifted when the door finally opened and Mr. 
Lincoln entered. It was the first chance the youth 
had had to get a fair look at the President-elect 
and at once he realized that Mr. Leonard Swett’s 
resemblance to him was only superficial. Mr. 
Lincoln reminded Joe of Lawyer Kirk, as he had 
last seen that gentleman standing before the fire in 
his tiny Washington office. 

But after the first glance, Joe was held by the 
wonderful eyes deeply sunken under the protuber- 
ance of the man’s brow. As he entered the room 
those eyes were sad and already wearied; this 
seemed their habitual expression. But when he 
saw the three gentlemen awaiting him the eyes 
suddenly lit up, their lids wrinkled at the corners, 
and an expression of shrewd humor clothed like a 
mask the face which a moment before had been 
sorrowful of cast. Joe had seen of late Mr. 
Lincoln’s features caricatured in the papers with 
the thin beard along the angle of the jaw and chin, 
which but recently had been allowed to grow, so 
he was prepared for the change from the portraits 
of the previous year which this made in his looks. 
But nothing could hide the rugged homeliness of his 
face. 

“ Well, Judd,” Mr. Lincoln said, ‘‘ I don’t know 
whether to thank you for getting me out of that 
crowd, or not. You all look pretty serious. What 
299 


T^he Eve ^ War 


is it ? He seated himself calmly and awaited 
the explanation. 

“ I don’t feel it necessary to apologize for the in- 
terruption, Mr. Lincoln,” returned the Chicagoan. 
“We are acting in a matter of life or death, per- 
haps. How, give us your attention, sir. Our 
friend, Allan Pinkerton, here, has a statement to 
make to you that we regard of the most vital im- 
portance.” 

Mr. Lincoln’s eyes turned toward the detective 
with interest. The latter said in his brusque way : 
“ I have reason to know, Mr. Lincoln, the very best 
reason, indeed, that there is a plot to assassinate 
you the day after to-morrow, on your way through 
Baltimore. I have come here in that connection.” 

The President started and a perceptible change 
came into the expression of his face. This was but 
for a moment. Then he said, simply, “ I am 
listening,” and crossing his legs in characteristic 
fashion, settled back into his chair. The detective 
was brief, but not a point of importance escaped 
him, and the narrative was listened to by the 
President-elect without a word of comment. The 
story began with the call of the Philadelphia, 
Wilmington and Baltimore Eailroad Company, for 
detectives, told how Mr. Pinkerton and his assistants 
had come to Baltimore, and detailed every ramifica- 
tion of the widespread plot at that time known. 
He narrated how men of Southern sentiment had 
300 


"The Eve War 


planned to destroy the ferry-boats used at Havre de 
Grace for carrying trains across the Susquehanna 
Kiver, and to burn the bridges over Gunpowder 
Kiver and other streams north of Baltimore, with 
the avowed intention of preventing “ any Yankee 
from ever sitting in the Presidential chair,” and 
also to prevent the massing of Northern troops at 
Washington. 

Mr. Lincoln was assured that these plans were 
not all, however. The story of the conspiracy to 
kill the Chief Executive at the Calvert Street 
station in Baltimore was likewise related ; and Joe, 
listening as earnestly as any one there, learned a 
great deal about the matter which he had not 
known before. Pinkerton told how some of his 
best men. Bangs, Jones, Norris, Dennia, John Kin- 
sella, and others, had joined the companies of rail- 
road men drilling for the work of rapine. He told 
how Timothy Webster had mingled with the 
middle-class people, and how Harry Davies, being 
a Southerner by birth, had gone among the highest 
social circles of Baltimore and found numbers of 
the conspirators there. And last of all the great 
detective related how he, himself, had joined with 
such men as Fernandina, the barber, in the lower 
drinking places of the city, and listened to many 
fierce speeches against Mr. Lincoln’s life, uttering 
some himself, indeed, to quench suspicion. 

‘‘ And, Mr. President,” said the detective, in the 
301 


"The Eve ^ War 


same unmoved tone with which he had told all this, 
“on the evening of February eighth a party of 
twenty of these men met in a hall in Baltimore and 
drew lots to see who should do the murder when 
your party arrives day after to-morrow. The man 
who drew a red ballot was to commit the deed.” 
Mr. Pinkerton suddenly glanced at Joe, who sat by 
the door, and the boy flushed. “ As I understand 
it, Mr. Lincoln,” the detective pursued, “ among 
this score of men who were determined to have your 
life, was a young chap who — well, who didn’t get 
to the meeting that night. He had a chum who 
happened to have different ideas on the subject; 
this chum took the young fire-eater, tied him up 
and gagged him in a lodging house in Baltimore, 
and went in his stead to the meeting. As the latter 
young fellow is present, sir, he can tell you what 
occurred that night.” 

As the other gentlemen turned their gaze upon 
Joe, the President-elect did likewise. The boy was 
covered with confusion, but Mr. Judd said, briskly : 
“Well, well, my boy ! Don’t be afraid. Tell Mr. 
Lincoln what you told us.” And Joe did so, find- 
ing his voice after a moment, and related the story 
calmly to the end. The President-elect listened to 
it still in silence, and sitting motionless in his chair, 
his intense interest being shown by the character- 
istic slow movement of the lower jaw accompanied 
by a protruding of the lips. When Joe finished, by 
302 



'-THE PRESIDENT-ELECT 
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T^he Eve ^ War 


producing the red slip of paper he had drawn from 
the ballot-box, a little silence fell upon the group. 
Finally Mr. Lincoln spoke, and his voice was very, 
very sad : 

“And why do they want to kill me?” he 
asked. 

Mr. Pinkerton and Mr. Felton both tried to ex- 
plain the attitude of the Southern sympathizers re- 
siding in Maryland, toward the newly elected 
President. Mr. Lincoln listened attentively to 
everything that was said, without committing him- 
self, and then asked : 

“Well, gentlemen, granting all this is true, what 
do you propose to do about it ? ” 

“We propose, Mr. President,” said the railroad 
man, “ to take you on to Washington this very 
night and steal a march on your enemies.” 

“ Do you approve of this ? ” asked Mr. Lincoln, 
addressing Mr. Judd. 

“It seems to me for the best,” answered the 
Chicagoan, “although I recognize if you follow 
this course suggested, of proceeding to Washington 
to-night, you will necessarily be subjected to the 
scoffs and sneers of your enemies and the disap- 
proval of many friends who will not believe in the 
existence of so desperate a plot.” 

Mr. Lincoln was lost in thought for several mo- 
ments. Finally he raised his head and fixed the 
three gentlemen before him with his intense gaze. 

303 


T'he Eve ^ War 


“ Gentlemen,” he said, “ I appreciate these sugges- 
tions, and while I can stand anything that is neces- 
sary in the way of misrepresentation, I do not feel 
that I can go to Washington to-night. I have 
promised to raise the flag over Independence Hall 
to-morrow morning, and after that to visit the 
Legislature at Harrisburg. These two promises I 
must fulfil, whatever the cost ; but after that I am 
ready to accept any plan you may adopt.” He had 
risen from his chair while speaking and his words 
Avere made the more impressive because of his calm- 
ness and unagitated manner. As he finished he 
turned toward the door, but as he approached Joe, 
his face broke into a sudden smile — ^like a flash of 
sunlight on a rugged hillside. One hand rested a 
moment on the boy’s shoulder as the other turned 
the knob of the door. “ You seem like a brave lit- 
tle fellow,” he said, and went out, and for once 
Joe Kansom was treated patronizingly, and liked 
it ! 

A sort of dumbness held everybody in the room 
until the one calm, utterly unshaken man, had gone. 
Then Mr. Pinkerton spoke to Joe, and he did not 
seem so unkind after all: “ You better go back to 
the hotel, boy. It’s late. If the clerk can’t find 
you a place to sleep, take my bed. I sha’n’t be 
there to-night. Here’s the key to my room.” And 
a little later Joe was out in the crowded street, 
wondering how it would all come out. Mr. Lin- 

304 


The Eve ^ War 


coin was determined not to run away from his 
enemies — at least, not at once. And if he waited 
too long, what miracle would save him from the 
Baltimore plot ? 


305 


CHAPTER XIX 


PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT 

The Washington boy found that Mr. Pinkerton’s 
thoughtfulness was probably all that saved him 
from a very disagreeable night. The St. Louis 
Hotel was crowded with guests, and his experience 
earlier in the evening led Joe to believe that every 
hostlery in Philadelphia was in a like condition. 
Seeing couches being arranged in the parlor, he 
knew it was quite useless to inquire for a room, 
and went up to Mr. Pinkerton’s apartment at once. 
There he was glad enough tO tumble into bed and 
neither the excitement of the last few hours, nor 
any suspicion of the events then taking place at 
Chesney House, kept him awake. 

He slumbered peacefully in the great detective’s 
bed while that indefatigable man pursued his plans 
for the safety of Mr. Lincoln’s further journey to- 
ward Washington. At midnight the conference re- 
assembled, when Mr. G. C. Franciscus, general 
manager of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and Mr. E. 
S. Sanford, representing the American Telegraph 
Company, took part in the discussion of the impor- 
tant question, with Mr. Judd, Mr. Felton, and 
Allan Pinkerton ; and these five men sat there in 
306 


The Eve War 


Mr. Judd’s room until half-past four in the morn- 
ing. 

Joe was aroused at daybreak by a knock at the 
door of his room and leaping up, admitted Mr. 
Pinkerton. The boy was only half awake then ; 
but the detective seemed as fresh and was as brisk 
of voice as ever. “ Turn out ! turn out, young 
man!” he said. “You’ve slept all that’s good for 
you. That head-piece of yours will never be good 
for much if you lie abed too long in the morning. 
A run out of doors in this cold air will do you good. 
And I reckon you’ll want to see the flag-raising at 
Independence Hall.” 

“Indeed I do!” cried Joe. “And I’m a thou- 
sand times obliged for the use of your bed, sir. I 
could not have found another place to sleep, I fear.” 

“I’ll try it m37^self for an hour now. There is 
nothing further to be done until it is time for Mr. 
Lincoln to take the train for Harrisburg.” 

“ Oh, sir, is he going to waste the day up there 
when it is so necessary for him to get to Washing- 
ton ? ” cried Joe, turning from the basin of water 
into which he had plunged his face. 

“We’ll see — we’ll see,” returned the detective. 
But Joe had grown wonderfully meek since the day 
before. His interest was not mere curiosity, and he 
said, while he hurried into his outer clothing : “ If 

there’s anything more I can do, sir, I’m at your serv- 
ice.” 


307 


’The Eve of 


“ Humph ! feel differently from the way you did 
yesterday, eh ? ” said the detective, with a grim 
smile. 

“ Yes, sir.” 

‘‘ Well, that’s frank ! I may want you. Now be 
off, for the flag-raising is to be at sunrise, and that’s 
near.” 

Joe hurried away from the hotel and soon joined 
the crowd which, even at that early hour, had 
gathered to participate in the ceremony of raising 
the national emblem over Independence Hall. 

The President having arrived, the ceremonies be- 
gan at once. Just at six o’clock Joe saw the flag 
ropes put into Mr. Lincoln’s hands and the Presi- 
dent-elect raised the banner over the building which 
had been in truth, the cradle of Liberty in the New 
World. When the flag Anally floated, fair and free, 
in the morning breeze, the gathered throng waited 
in expectation for the speech which was to follow. 
Mr. Theodore Cuyler, president of the Council, in- 
troduced Mr. Lincoln, briefly suggesting that in the 
new President’s hands was the task of restoring 
peace to the distracted country ; and some phrases 
in Mr. Lincoln’s response showed to the deeply in- 
terested boy how troubled the President-elect was 
by the evidence presented to him over-night of the 
plot against his life ; and that he realized more than 
ever before what the real sore was upon the body 
politic, which needed cleansing. After stating that 
308 


‘The Eve ^ War 

his own political sentiments had been drawn from 
those which had originated in and were given to the 
world from Independence Hall, Mr. Lincoln de- 
clared : 

“ I have never had a feeling, politically, that did 
not spring from the sentiments embodied in the 
Declaration of Independence. I have often pon- 
dered over the dangers which were incurred by the 
men who assembled here and framed and adopted 
that Declaration. I have pondered over the toils 
that were endured by the officers and soldiers of the 
army who achieved that independence. I have 
often inquired of myself what great principle or 
idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long to- 
gether. 

“ It was not the mere matter of separation of the 
colonies from the motherland, but that sentiment in 
the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, 
not alone to the people of this country, but hope to 
all the world, for all future time. It was that 
which gave promise that in due time the weights 
would be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and 
that all should have an equal chance. This is the 
sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. 

“How, my friends, can this country be saved on 
that basis ? If it can, I will consider myself one of 
the happiest men in the world if I can help to save 
it. If it cannot be saved upon that principle it will 

309 


The Eve ^ War 


be truly awful. But if this country cannot be saved 
without giving up that principle, I was about to say 
I would rather be assassinated on this spot than sur- 
render it ! 

“ . . . Now, my friends, this is wholly an un- 

prepared speech. I did not expect to be called upon 
to say a word when I came here. I supposed I was 
merely to do something toward raising a flag. I 
may, therefore, have said something indiscreet.” 

“ No ! no ! ” was the murmur which rose from the 
listening crowd there in the raw morning air. 

‘‘But I have said nothing,” Mr. Lincoln con- 
tinued, “ but what I am willing to live by, and, 
if it be the pleasure of Almighty God, to die 
by!” 

Joe, much impressed by the sadness which colored 
these few words of the great man, lingered when 
the ceremonies were concluded, and in a few mo- 
ments saw Mr. Pinkerton break through the crowd 
and approach the presidential party. Mr. Lincoln 
observed him and beckoned him closer, stepping 
with the detective to one side while Judd anci 
several other gentlemen interposed between the 
crowd and the Chief Magistrate. “ Well, sir,” said 
Mr. Lincoln, “ have you decided on a plan since I 
left you last night ? ” 

“We have, sir,” declared Allan Pinkerton, 
quietly, “ and I will answer with my life for your 
safe conduct to Washington.” 

310 


"The Eve War 


“ Good ! ” exclaimed the President, and grasped 
the detective’s hand strongly. 

At the moment two persons hurried breathlessly 
up to the party. Joe, who stood near enough to 
hear and see all that went on, recognized one as a 
young gentleman who had become pretty well 
known in Washington during the past few days. 
He was Frederick W. Seward, son of the man whom 
Mr. Lincoln had asked to accept the portfolio of 
Secretary of State, and he had been sent on from 
the capital with a despatch for the President of 
such importance that he had been charged to de- 
liver it himself in person. The party were now 
escaped from the crowd and Mr. Lincoln, after 
welcoming young Seward, broke the seal of the en- 
velope, finding therein letters from William H. 
Seward and from General Scott containing the re- 
ports of Colonel Stone and his secret service men 
regarding the conspiracy, the existence of which Mr. 
Lincoln had learned the previous evening. Mr. 
Seward had become convinced, by a perusal of 
David S. Bookstaver’s full report submitted by the 
Inspector-General, that the terrible plot actually 
existed. 

“ After this,” said the President, turning to his 
friend Judd, “it is impossible to doubt the reality 
of the danger.” 

At once Mr. Judd placed himself under Allan 
Pinkerton’s orders and the program of the day at 

311 


"The Eve ^ War 


Harrisburg was made to conform in every particu- 
lar with the wishes of the detective, in whose hands 
had been left the details of the means for Mr. 
Lincoln’s safety. Mr. Pinkerton did not go to the 
State Capital, remaining in Philadelphia to perfect 
his plans ; but he knew about where Mr. Lincoln 
would be, and what he would be doing, every hour 
of the day. The public supposed that the Presi- 
dent would remain at Harrisburg over the night of 
the twenty-second ; Governor Curtin himself knew 
nothing of any change in this program until, after 
the visit to the Legislature, and the reception ten- 
dered Mr. Lincoln, the visiting party were being 
entertained at dinner. The dinner began shortly 
before five o’clock and was allowed to proceed in 
the usual way, Mr. Lincoln being seated beside Mr. 
Curtin at the head table. It was arranged that at 
six o’clock Mr. Lincoln should excuse himself as if 
for a moment and slip away unobserved. Thus, if 
there were Southern spies in Harrisburg, no fore- 
knowledge of the change in the President’s inten- 
tion might be sent to the Baltimore conspirators. 

When the time came, however, it was found al- 
most impossible for Mr. Lincoln to leave the table. 
Hot only were the dining-rooms and corridors of 
the hotel packed to suffocation, but a large crowd 
had gathered outside and were shouting for an ad- 
dress from the balcony. Bonfires were blazing in 
the streets, and there was great enthusiasm every- 
312 


The Eve ^ War 

where. Seeing the difficulty in leaving the room, 
Mr. Lincoln hit upon a clever idea, and it was then 
he informed the Governor of the matter which had 
burdened the hearts of himself and his friends all 
day. 

Grasping the situation in a moment, Governor 
Curtin made some remark to the effect that the 
President was suffering with a headache and would 
withdraw to his room for a moment. Then giving 
Mr. Lincoln his arm, the two men passed out of the 
dining-room and walked down the hall to the front 
door, where Mr. Franciscus, of the Pennsylvania 
Koad, was waiting with a closed carriage. The 
President stepped quickly into the carriage, without 
hat or overcoat, but showed his forethought later 
by producing a woolen cap from his pocket and 
placing it upon his head. Attired in the railroad 
man’s own overcoat and this cap, the perilous jour- 
ney of that ever to be remembered night was ac- 
complished. 

The carriage drove to the Executive Mansion, 
stopping there for a moment to avert suspicion, and 
then was hurried on to a crossing at the lower end 
of Harrisburg, where Allan Pinkerton had arranged 
for a locomotive and passenger car to be in waiting. 
Mr. Ward H. Lamon was the only member of Mr. 
Lincoln’s party that accompanied him back to Phila- 
delphia, the other gentlemen — even Mr. Judd — 
agreeing to remain in Harrisburg and to appear as 

313 


T'he Eve ^ War 


much as possible during the evening, so as to make 
the people believe that Mr. Lincoln was still at the 
State Capital. 

That Washington’s Birthday had proven both a 
busy and an anxious day to Joe Ransom. Mr. 
Pinkerton considered him at his beck and call, just 
as though Colonel Stone had particularly sent his 
young friend to the detective to act as his errand 
boy and general factotum. It was hoped that any 
spies lingering in Harrisburg might be hoodwinked 
by the care taken by the President in getting 
away from that city ; but as an additional precau- 
tion the detective arranged with the officers of the 
American Telegraph Company in Philadelphia to 
have all despatches from Harrisburg over their 
wires, except such as might come addressed to “ J. 
H. Hutchinson,” held in their office; and likewise 
he sent out a man and had the wires of the North- 
ern Central Railroad cut in two places so that no 
message could reach Baltimore by that line. 

Joe found night had come before he even thought 
of returning to Washington ; but as there was an 
evening train south the boy went up to Mr. Pinker- 
ton’s room after dinner to bid him good-bye. 

“ So you’re going back, eh ? ” said the detective, 
hardly looking up from the table at which he was 
writing. ‘‘And what do you think of Phila- 
delphia ? ” 

“ Goodness me, sir ! What chance have I had to 

314 


The Eve ^ War 


see the place ? ” demanded the boy, in some disgust. 
“ Besides, I did not come for pleasure.” 

It might have been that Mr. Pinkerton chuckled. 
At least, there seemed to be a little click in his 
throat before he spoke again. “ Wait till that 
10:50 train, Kansom. You’ll get better accommo- 
dations on that.” 

“ But there’s nothing for me to do.” 

“ Just one other thing, young man. I want you 
to go to Superintendent Kenney’s office and wait 
there until you receive a package to be delivered to 
the conductor of the 10 : 50 train. You’ll find the 
office open now, you’ve been there once for me to- 
day, haven’t you ? ” 

“ Yes, sir,” said Joe, in answer to the last inquiry. 
“ Is it all arranged for taking Mr. Lincoln around 
Baltimore to-morrow ? ” 

“Well, I’m happy to say the plans are complete 
for getting him to Washington,” said the detective, 
non-committingly. 

This was the idea that Joe had gained from what 
he had overheard and seen : that Mr. Lincoln would 
pass around the city of Baltimore on the twenty- 
third. He found the office of the superintendent 
of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore 
Kailroad again and waited there for a couple of 
hours, when rather a large and securely sealed 
package was placed in his hands together with a 
through ticket to Washington. “ Hand this to con- 
315 


The Eve ^ War 


ductor John Litzenburg at just 10 : 55,” he was 
told ; “ he will hold the train for it.” He went 
down to the station, wondering greatly what was in 
the packet. He would have had greater reason for 
wondering had he known that the actual contents 
of that package were several old Hew York Her- 
alds of practically no value ! 

Hor did he know that, while he dozed in the of- 
fice of the superintendent of the railroad, Mr. Lin- 
coln and his friends were speeding eastward in a 
darkened car. Equally ignorant, the crowds in 
Harrisburg thought the President had merely with- 
drawn from the scene of the dinner and public re- 
ception, because of a headache. It was dusk when 
the special engine and car left the confines of the 
State Capital, and the train did not stop until 
Downingtown was reached, where the engine took 
water and the party of travelers (all except the 
President himself) went to the lunch counter in the 
station. On the special rushed again and, shortly 
after ten o’clock, reached the West Philadelphia 
station. Here Allan Pinkerton was in waiting with 
a closed carriage, and on the seat beside the driver 
was Mr. H. F. Kenney himself, the Philadelphia, 
Wilmington and Baltimore superintendent. The 
President, Mr. Lamon, and Mr. Pinkerton got into 
the carriage at once and were driven down Market 
Street as far as Nineteenth, up that as far as Vine, 
and from that to Seventeenth Street, the carriage 
316 


T^he Eve of War 


all the time proceeding slowly so as to arrive at the 
Baltimore station but a few moments before train 
time, as well as to throw any one who might be fol- 
lowing off the track of the party. 

Joe’s instructions were to deliver his package to 
Conductor Litzenburg at just 10:55, five minutes 
after the regular starting time of the train, which 
would have afforded Pinkerton, had the special 
from Harrisburg been late, time to change his plans. 
But the detective had plenty of time to reach the 
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore yard, and 
get his party out of the carriage and across the 
tracks to the sleeper at the rear of the waiting 
train, where three sections had been engaged by 
Mrs. Kate Warn and George H. Bangs, two of 
Pinkerton’s faithful detectives, who were supposed 
by the train hands and passengers to be members 
of an ordinary family party. 

These arrangements, of course, were utterly un- 
suspected by Joe ; although he supposed his de- 
livery of the packet to the conductor in some way 
bore on the plan to save the President. So he 
paced the station platform until the great clock 
pointed to exactly 10:55. Then he went to the 
conductor, who was anxiously consulting his watch 
beside a car step near the middle of the train. 
“ Mr. Litzenburg ? ” he asked, tendering the packet. 

“ Yes, yes ! This is what Superintendent Kenney 
told me to wait for ? ” 


317 


T'he Eve ^ War 


I believe so, sir.” 

“Well, it’s come at last! Do you go by this 
train, sir? Hurry aboard. We are five minutes 
late now.” 

At the moment a porter ran forward from the 
rear of the train. “ You, sir ! ” he exclaimed to 
Joe. “ Did you just bring a packet for the con- 
ductor ? ” 

Joe hesitated. He was doubtful about an- 
swering the question, but Litzenburg saved him 
the trouble of deciding. “ Yes, Knox, I have it,” 
he said, and swung his lantern to the engine- 
driver. 

“ I have something for you,” whispered the 
porter to Joe. “ Mr. Hutchinson, who’s travel- 
ing in the sleeper yonder, gave me this tele- 
gram. He says it was sent under cover to 
him.” 

Joe took the sealed despatch in wonder and as 
the train began to move slowly past him, he tore 
the envelope open. It was addressed to him, sure 
enough, and sent in care of “ J. H. Hutchinson, at 
the St. Louis Hotel, Philadelphia.” It had been 
repeated from Baltimore, having originally been 
sent from Washington; and evidently Mr. Pinker- 
ton had received it after Joe went to the railroad 
superintendent’s office that evening, although the 
hour it was sent from Washington was noon. Joe 
read the message with amazement and no little 
318 


The Eve of 


fear. It was : ‘‘ Please come at once. I need 

you. D. C.” 

Those initials at the end of the telegram stood 
for “ Dollie Chesney ” ! 


* 


319 


CHAPTER XX 


FRIENDS AND FOES 

From the day Amy Marshall called upon Dollie 
and betrayed the secret of Tom’s visit to Baltimore, 
informing little Miss Chesney how Joe had risked 
his life to save his chum from the results of his own 
impetuosity, the Major’s granddaughter had fostered 
a desire in her heart to “ make up ” with J oe. 
Young Ransom, in espousing the Northern cause, 
had indeed committed a heinous crime in Miss 
Dollie’s eyes ; but she very much doubted if Joe 
deserved all the disapproval which she had shown 
him during the past few weeks. She knew that 
her attitude was inspired to a great extent by her 
Uncle Philip’s opinion, and she was beginning to 
doubt him very seriously. 

Again and again the girl was tempted to ask Mr. 
Kirk’s advice, upon his brief calls at Chesney 
House ; but pride kept her from it. She had turned 
her back upon her grandfather’s legal adviser, had 
demanded the appointment of Dr. Prettyman as her 
guardian, and cut herself oif from the attorney’s as- 
sistance. Mr. Kirk, during his calls, sometimes 
sent Dollie as well as the nurse, from the room, and 
with his own clerk only as witness, verbally re- 
320 


"The Eve of 


ported upon business matters to the sick man ; for 
Major Chesney retained his mental faculties to a 
marked degree, though remaining speechless and 
unable to move. 

Dollie spent most of her time in the sick room, 
and grew pale and thin herself during these weeks. 
Joe sat beside the Major’s bed and relieved the 
nurse, for an hour or two every day; but Philip 
Chesney never offered to do that. Indeed, whether 
because of Mr. Kirk’s warning to him or not, the 
Major’s son kept out of the sick room almost alto- 
gether. But on the evening of the twentieth of 
February all Dollie’s fears were revived when Dr. 
Pretty man drove over and, taking Philip and her- 
self aside, told them that he should cross the river 
to Alexandria City before morning. 

“ This town is getting too hot for me,” said the 
physician. “I hear there are to be some arrests 
made, and I have not forgotten what Stone had in 
his eye the day he obtained that list of recruits 
from me and refused me the ordnance requisition 
to arm them. He means business, and now is the 
time for some of us to flit. Something has gone 
wrong, Philip. The people of the district do not 
respond as loyal Southerners should. If it is this 

way all over the State ” 

“It cannot be ! ” cried Dollie. “ Surely we shall 
not lose Maryland to the Yankees ? ” 

“ We’ll not lose the State,” her uncle said, grimly. 

321 


"The Eve War 


“And when the State rises, the district will be 
obliged to succumb. Wait till you hear the news 
from Baltimore.” 

“ Oh, what do you mean ? ” 

“ Abe Lincoln will never get through that town 
alive ! ” returned Philip Chesney. 

“ Surely,” whispered the girl, “ you do not 
believe ” 

“ He means, Dollie,” said the Doctor, mildly, 
“that there have been three companies of loyal 
men, who are all railroad employees, drilling and 
planning for months to keep the Abolitionist and 
his crew away from Washington. The party will 
never reach here. Nor can any body of Northern 
troops be brought here to defend the departments. 
We are now about to strike. On the night Lincoln 
and his party start for Baltimore, bridges on the 
railway line will go up in smoke and the ferry-boats 
at Havre de Grace will go to the bottom of the 
river. The Susquehanna is our frontier and Balti- 
more is the city most deeply concerned in this 
business.” 

Dollie was somewhat reassured by these words ; 
but the fact that Prettyman was going away so 
suddenly, troubled her much. The Doctor had 
been, for some days, quietly arranging his business, 
and had divided his practice among several brother 
physicians. “ And now what concerns me most is 
Dollie’s affairs,” he said, addressing Philip. “ I am 
322 


The Eve ^ War 

going to Governor Letcher, of Virginia, who has 
promised me a commission. I cannot attend to my 
duties as Dollie’s guardian and shall have to dele- 
gate you, Philip, as my substitute until we learn 
whether we shall have the felicity of holding Wash- 
ington, or shall be compelled to withdraw all loyal 
people from it while the armies of the South bom- 
bard the city.’^ 

“ Besiege it — bombard Washington ! ” cried the 
girl. 

“That will be the first work of the South. If 
we cannot hold the capital we must humble the pride 
of the Yankees by showing them that they cannot 
hold it, either. But enough of this. You will act 
for me, Philip ? ” 

“ Oh, yes,” returned Chesney, hiding his satisfac- 
tion but thinly. Dollie gazed at him anxiously, bur 
her uncle did not meet her eye. 

“We ought to make out papers, a power of at- 
torney ? ” suggested the Doctor, rather vaguely. 

“Yes,” Philip declared, with alacrity. “We’ll 
attend to that at once. I’ll go with you now.” He 
went for his hat and coat and the Doctor bustled 
into the hall, ready to depart. 

“ Your grandfather is getting on as well as could 
be expected,” said the little man, soothingly, as he 
observed the anxiety in the girl’s face. “I have 
delegated Dr. Blumenthal to attend him — a re- 
markable young man, and interested in the case 
’23 


The Eve War 


already. I am sorry he was not at our consulta- 
tion the other day. We should have been the 
better for his advice. I can assure you, Major 
Chesney will be in good hands. As for yourself, 
my dear — well, I could find nobody better than 
Philip to look after your interests,” and he said it 
with perfect confidence and honesty. Yet when 
Dollie watched them depart she longed to cry after 
the Doctor and beg him to reconsider his decision 
regarding Philip. She knew at last that she was 
afraid of her uncle. She did not want him for her 
guardian. His tone and words that night, as he 
mentioned the impossibility of Mr. Lincoln’s getting 
through Baltimore alive, had chilled her with hor- 
ror, and it all flooded back upon her soul now while 
she stood trembling by the door-post. She was 
helpless in his hands. She was like a bird flut- 
tering in the snare into which it has blun- 
dered ! 

“I’ll tell Joe — I’ll tell him this very night,” she 
whispered to herself. “ He will aid me. He will 
see Mr. Kirk. I am ashamed to speak to Mr. Kirk ; 
but I believe he will keep Uncle Philip from doing 
wrong.” She could not formulate her suspicions 
and put them into words, however, and when she 
heard Joe come in later, and go directly to his 
room, she was just as far from knowing what to say 
to him as before. It was long before she fell asleep, 
and when finally she did so it was with the deter- 

324 


“The Eve of 


'V' 

' 4 ' 

j| mination to see Joe immediately after breakfast the 
next day. 

When that hour arrived, however, and she looked 
I for the young fellow, she could not find him. Mer- 
lin' cury informed her : “ Dar was a no-’count culled 

I boy corned atter Mars’ Joe w’en he eatin’ he’s 
" breakfas’. Miss Dollie, an’ he done harried right 
r ober ter Wash’nton soon’s eber he could.” 

“ Who was the boy ? ” asked Dollie. 

“ U mpah ! Ah don’t ’sociate wid no sech trash. Miss 
Dollie,” declared Mercury, with his nose in the air. 
“ But don’t you know who the boy was and from 
i whom he came ? ” 

> “ He done work in a libery stable, whar Mars’ 

J oe put up he’s hoss sometimes. He corned ober 
||:. yere wid Sultan de night Mars’ Joe went to Bawl- 
jl-i timore; ah knows, fo’ Unc’ Luke telled me so.” 

[};> « Who sent him — Tom Marshall ? ” 

Ht’ “ Ah don’ reckon so. All ah knows is whar he 
works,” declared Mercury. “ He ain’ notten’ but 
i ^ er free nigger ! ” 

s| So Dollie waited, hoping every hour that Joe 
; would return. Major Chesney’s inquiring gaze was 
I turned upon the door all the forenoon, in expecta- 
' tion of Joe’s appearance. All she could tell him 
I was that the boy had gone out early and not yet 
I come back. 

Philip Chesney came into the library, however. 
He had risen late that morning, having returned 


The Eve ^ War 


after going out with Dr. Prettyman the previous 
night long after everybody in the house was asleep. 
He looked seedy and there was a gloomy fire in his 
eyes. He did not meet her gaze fairly, but coming 
into the room, gave a quick glance at the sick man, 
and moved moodily across to the mantel-shelf, 
w^here he leaned, out of the range of the Major’s 
vision, and gazed into the glowing grate for some 
minutes. Suddenly, as though arriving at a de- 
termination, he crossed from the mantel to the 
tall, time-blackened walnut “secretary,” that the 
Major had brought from his old Carolina home, and 
which contained in its multitudinous pigeon-holes 
the old gentleman’s private papers, while in the 
locked cabinet below were valuables and, possibly, 
ready money ; for Major Chesney usually kept con- 
siderable cash on hand for the running expenses of 
the house. This article of furniture had not been 
disturbed since the Major was taken ill, no more 
than had the writing-table, with its litter of papers. 
Philip halted before the tall case and laid his 
hand upon the knob of the swinging-doors masking 
the pigeon-holes. Mammy Laura, who had been 
dozing in her chair, awoke then with astonishing 
suddenness. “ Hi, dar. Mars’ Philip ! ” she whis- 
pered, shrilly. “ Wot yo’ want ? ” 

Philip shot her an angry glance, muttering : 
“ Stop your noise, old woman ! Don’t question 
your betters.” 


326 


The Eve ^ War 


“ Yo’ let dat erlone,” said Mammy, still stoutly. 
“ Ah reckon ah knows ma business. Mars’ Kirk — ” 

Philip imprecated the lawyer with right good 
will. “ Where’s the key to this, old woman ? ” he 
demanded. “ I want to get some writing-paper.” 

“ Wal, sah, yo’ jes’ traipse yo’se’f somewhar else 
fo’ paper. Yo’ don’ open dat t’ing. Nobody know 
whar de key gone.” 

Dollie hurried forward. “ Uncle Philip ! Uncle 
Philip ! ” she said, in a low tone. “ You will dis- 
turb grandfather. I — I have writing-paper, if 
you want it, in my room. You’ll find it in my 
desk.” 

“ What ! ” exclaimed Philip, scowling upon her in 
a manner which he had never tried before. “ Shall I 
be browbeaten by one of these niggers ? Can’t I go 
to my own father’s desk?” 

“ But you disturb him — he doesn’t want you to.” 

“ What do you know about it ? ” demanded Philip, 
roughly. “ Has Kirk been filling your mind with 
evil suspicions against me, too ? ” 

“ Oh, uncle ! ” gasped the girl. But Philip was 
in an ugly mood and at last he felt his power. He 
\vent on : “ I’ve been insulted ever since I came 

into this house. The time has come for a change. 
I’m not going to be watched and spied upon by 
these niggers, I tell you, Dollie. This is my father’s 
house and I am nearest of kin. I don’t care for 
that young whipper-snapper, Joe; if he’s been 

327 


The Eve of 'Wzr 


adopted, let Kirk prove it. I propose to assert my 
authority hereafter. And I’ll begin by keeping 
these niggers in their place. Mammy, here, be- 
longs to my father ” 

“ No, ah doesn’t, sah ! ” snapped the old woman. 
“ Ah reckon ah knows ma rights. Ah don’ b’long 
ter nobody but God A’mighty. Mars’ done gib me 
ma freedom y’ars an’ y’ars ergo.” 

Philip stopped her with a gesture. “ You’ll find 
that won’t count for much when we get South,” he 
exclaimed. 

“ You don’t really think we’ll have to go, uncle ? ” 
cried Dollie, anxiously. 

“ I am making preparations,” said Philip, sullenly. 
“ It — it is best to be on the safe side. And if the 
Yankees should take Washington after all, this 
would be no place for you.” 

“ But grandfather ! ” 

“ Kor for him,” added Philip. “ Kot only that, 
but I think some of sending Luke and Mercury back 
to Carolina ahead of us, anyway.” 

“ What for, uncle ? ” asked the girl, in wonder. 
But Mammy sprang up with a horrified cry : “ Don’ 
yo’ let him do it. Miss Dollie — don’ yo’ let him ! 
We nebber see Luke an’ de chile ag’in. Ah knows 
he’s wicked heart. Dey’s sendin’ slabes dar ter 
work on de fo’tifications. Yo’ won’t nebber see 
Luke nor Merc’ry ag’in.” 

“ Shut up ! ” exclaimed Philip, under his breath. 
328 


T'he Eve of 'WdiX 


“ Why, uncle, you mustn’t do such a thing,” 
Dollie said, with shaking voice. “We need Luke 
and Mercury here.” 

“ What for ? ” snapped the man. “ Luke to sit 
here when this old catamaran isn’t around, and spy 
upon me ? I’ll get rid of him — and in a hurry I ” 

“ But grandfather wouldn’t want him to go ! ” 
declared Dollie. 

“Major Chesney has nothing to do with it,” 
returned Philip, coldly. “ They do not belong to 
his estate. Luke and Mercury are your property.” 

“ But, uncle, I do not wish them to go.” 

“Young lady,” said Philip, sternly, “Dr. Pretty- 
man has left you and your estate in my care, and 
I shall do what seems to be the best with both. 
The flighty ideas of a child like you will have little 
influence with me. When the time comes, Luke 
and Mercury are going South — don’t forget that ! ” 
and turning on his heel he strode from the room. 
Mammy flung her apron over her head and began 
to rock silently to and fro. At first Dollie could 
not comfort her, nor even speak to her. Her 
own heart was over-full and had she spoken she 
Avould have burst into a flood of angry tears. 
?Tever in her life before had she been spoken to 
harshly; it was an entirely new experience. She 
glanced toward the bed where Major Chesney lay. 
He could not have heard more than a murmur of 
the conversation, for even Philip had not spoken 

329 


The Eve ^ War 


loudly. Yet the sick man’s eyes glittered and she 
saw that they were turned toward the door through 
which his son had just passed. 

“ Grandfather distrusts him,” she thought. “ He 
has never wanted him here. Joe was right — he has 
been right from the beginning! Oh, Joe! Joe! 
why aren’t you here now ? ” 

And she had occasion to repeat that question 
many times that anxious day. But now she had to 
comfort Mammy, and as soon as she could control 
her own vci^.e she endeavored to reassure the old 
black woman that no harm should come to either 
her or to Uncle Luke and Mercury. 

“ Don’t you worry a bit. Mammy ! He shan’t 
send Uncle Luke and Mercury away. I won’t let 
him. I don’t understand what has changed him so 
to-day.” 

‘‘Notten’s changed him, honey. Yo’ eyes is jes’ 
er-gittin’ open, dat’s all,” said Mammy Laura, in a 
muffled tone. 

“ Oh, Mammy, you don’t believe him bad-hearted 
enough to ” 

“ Miss Dollie ! Ah done tol’ you b’fore dat yo’ is 
plum’ crazy erbout dat Philip Chesney — yo’ is, in- 
deedy ! ” and the black woman removed the apron 
from before her face. “Ah reckons ah oughter 
know. Ah ca’ied him in ma arms ; ah nussed him 
w’en he’s po’ mudder was so sick. Umpah ! 
yo’ cayn’t tell me notten’ ’bout dat boy. Ah 

330 


T^he Eve War 

’lows ’at ah’ll see him hung yit, ef ah libs ’long 
enough ! ” 

“ Oh, mammy ! ” 

“ ’Deed an’ ah means it, honey. Dat boy was de 
wustes’ one wot eber libed. De baidness will come 
out in fam’blies sometimes, an’ it sart’nly crop out 
in Mars’ Philip. Dey tell me dat de ol’ Majah had 
er brudder wot acted jes’ like him. He killed a 
man, honey, dis brudder of ol’ mars’, in a duett (!) 
an’ had ter go erway f’om home an’ lib all de en- 
durance ob he’s life ! An’ Mars’ Philip alius had er 
turrible temper. He been keepin’ it down, an’ er 
hidin’ it f’om you. But ah knowed it was boun’ ter 
fly out some day. He ain’ hid it none f’om Mars’ 
Joe. Ho indeedy ! An’ he got er mighty hatred 
in he’s heart for Luke, ’cause Luke done kep’ him 
f’om shootin’ Mars’ Joe dat day.” 

“ Shooting Joe ! ” cried Dollie, under her breath. 

What do you mean. Mammy ? Are you mad ? 
Uncle Philip shoot Joe ? ” 

“ Shore’s yo’ bawn, honey, he’d done it ef it hadn’t 
been fo’ Luke. It was de day Mars’ Philip wanted 
ter stop Mars’ Joe f’om ridin’ Sultan.” 

“ The day Joe tried to ride Uncle Philip down ? ” 
queried Dollie, gravely. 

“Umpah! Ah guess Mars’ Joe was purty mad, 
but he didn’ do dat. Mars’ Philip Chesney aimed 
he’s great pistol dat he ca’ies, right squar’ at Mars’ 
Joe, and Mars’ Joe done ride Sultan right up ter 

331 


The Eve ^ War 


him an’ dare him to shoot — yaas, sah, honey ! Yo’ 
cayn’t scare a Ransom no more dan yo’ could a 
proper Chesney. An’ w’en Mars’ Philip was er- 
feared ter shoot, but would ha’ done it atter Mars’ 
Joe rode erway, Luke grabbed him an’ kep’ him f’om 
shootin’ de boy t’rough de back. Yaas, honey. Mars’ 
Philip boun’ ter git squar’ wid Luke fo’ dat. He 
t’reatened to sell him den, and he will, shore ! ” 

Dollie saw another of the accusations against Joe, 
fostered by Philip, set at naught. She began to 
feel that her treatment of Joe Ransom during the 
past few weeks had been little short of inhuman. 
What if he did believe differently upon the great 
matter which had wrenched the community apart ? 
The other faults which were laid at his door were 
being disproved, one after another. 

And she waited anxiously for Joe to return from 
town that she might ask his advice regarding the 
difficulties which faced her. She did not wish to go 
to Mr. Kirk herself ; but she knew Joe would ob- 
tain the lawyer’s help for her, if Philip could not 
be controlled in any other way. She was angry 
with Dr. Pretty man for going away and leaving her 
in Philip’s care ; and for his leaving Major Ches- 
ney, too. 

When the new doctor came, however, Dollie was 
agreeably surprised. Dr. Blumenthal was an en- 
tirely different kind of a man from Prettyman. He 
was younger, quieter, more professional in his bear- 
332 


“The Eve of Wux 

ing, and certainly took an interest in the Major’s 
case which pleased Dollie greatly. “ Has a battery 
been tried upon Major Chesney ? ” he asked the 
nurse. “No? Well, it will do no harm; it may 
do good. He has lain here so long now that his 
vitality is much reduced. Something should have 
been done, I fear, before now.” 

“ Dr. Prettyman said there was danger of another 
stroke, sir,” said Dollie, timidly. 

“ There is always danger of a second stroke, and 
of a third. And in such cases the second stroke is 
usually fatal and the third always! We shall do 
all we can to fend off the second one, however. 
With the permission of the family I will try if he 
responds to the electric battery to-morrow.” 

“ But, sir, if it will do no good ” 

“ My dear child,” said Dr. Blumenthal, “ he is 
simply dying slowly as he is. The battery will do 
him no harm. It may stimulate the nerves. He 
may rally very strongly after the application and, 
if his system is not too weak, he may get a grip on 
life again. I shall do all in my power to help 
him.” 

And Dollie’s confidence was renewed. Only she 
longed to see Joe, and Joe did not come, although it 
was now past the luncheon hour. Philip left the 
house after the quarrel in the library, and had not 
reappeared. But by and by Paul Gladden came, 
dressed in a wonderful outing costume, and with a 
333 


The Eve of TJzx 


jointed fishing-rod in a canvas case on his shoulder. 
Dollie had not seen much of Paul of late, not since 
she learned that he had repeated her tirade against 
Joe at the armory of the National Kifies ; but she was 
bound by the laws of hospitality to treat him kindly. 

“Yes, glad to hear the Major’s better,” said Paul. 
“And I hope you’re not overdoing yourself. Miss 
Dollie ? You don’t look well.” 

“ I’m tired,” admitted the girl. 

“ Too bad. Anything I can do for j^ou ? ” 

“ Nothing, thank you, Paul.” 

“ I don’t expect you get much help from Joe. 
He is so deep in the councils of the Yankees that 
he hasn’t much time at home.” 

“I do not know that he is friendly with the 
Yankees,” said Dollie, her eyes flashing. 

“ Why, I thought you told me so yourself ! ” cried 
Paul, and the girl blushed deeply and bit her lip. 
“ Besides,” he went on, “ everybody knows he is 
hand-in-glove with that Colonel Stone who refused 
to let Dr. Prettyman arm the National Volunteers. 
Mr. Nathaniel Cleft told me he saw Joe and Stone 
up at the Capital the other morning.” 

“ Indeed ! ” and Dollie made no further comment. 
So Paul went on hurriedly : “ I say. Miss Dollie, I 
stopped to see if you wouldn’t let that black boy. 
Mercury, guide me to a fishing place Tom Mar- 
shall’s been telling me about — it’s ’way out Prospect 
Street somewhere.” 


334 


The Eve ^ War 


“ I know there is a creek out there where the 
boys go.” 

“Yes; Tom says it’s a good place. But I am 
not familiar with that part of the town.” 

“ Mercury shall go if I can find him, Paul,” said 
the girl, and she went back into the house and 
soon reappeared with the black boy. But, strangely 
enough, when Mercury knew what was desired of 
him, he was unwilling. “ Ah don’ wanter go wid 
him,” he declared, hanging his head and shuflBiing 
his feet on the porch. 

“Why, sir, I never knew you to refuse to go 
fishing before ! ” Dollie cried. 

“ Oh, I’ll let him come home after he’s shown me 
the place,” said Paul, preparing to go on. 

“ Ah don’ wanter ! ” reiterated Mercury. 

“What’s the matter with you?” exclaimed 
Dollie, exasperated. “ Go at once with Mr. Glad- 
den ! ” 

“Yo’ll be sorry fo’ sendin’ me wid him. Miss 
Dollie,’’ declared Mercury, shaking his woolly 
head, and following the white boy slowly down the 
path. But Dollie thought very little of this mourn- 
ful prophecy until, night having come and Joe 
being still absent, the much worried girl went in 
search of the black boy, wishing to send him to the 
Marshalls to learn if they knew where Joe was. 
No Mercury was to be found. Mammy had not 
seen him after he started on the fishing trip; 
335 


The Eve ^ War 


neither had Uncle Luke. As for Philip, the girl 
did not really care to ask him. Her uncle’s face at 
the dinner table looked like a thunder-cloud, and he 
scarcely spoke to her. 

So another night of anxiety began for Doliie 
Chesney, and stronger and stronger in her heart 
grew the longing for Joe Kansom’s return. 


336 


CHAPTER XXI 


OPEN WARFAEE 

Like Joe’s room, Dollie’s chamber overlooked the 
roof of the extension at the rear of Chesney House. 
When Joe did not return that night at bedtime, she 
went to her own couch in much worriment of mind. 
Mercury’s absence did not so much trouble her, for 
she made up her mind the young rascal had “ run 
away ” because she sent him on the fishing trip 
with Paul Gladden. Mercury had done this be- 
fore, and she expected to find him back by break- 
fast time, hungry and repentant. She could not 
sleep, however, for thinking of the strangeness of 
Joe Ransom’s absence. 

What had happened to keep him away ? What 
could have detained him ? Was he in trouble ? 
Had — had Philip Chesney anything to do with Joe’s 
absence? For by this time, having seen plainly 
how her uncle had befooled her, and having ob- 
served him at his worst, the girl was quite ready 
to accept the idea that the man had vented his 
spleen upon Major Chesney’s adopted son in some 
cowardly way. He had already threatened to 
shoot Joe ! Fear shook her like an ague chill and 
she leaped out of bed without the first idea of 
337 


T'he Eve ^ War 


what she should do. Hastily slipping her feet into 
bed-shoes and drawing on her wadded gown, she 
crept to the window and peered out. Moonlight 
bathed the lawns and terraces surrounding Chesney 
House, and across the thin coat of snow Avhich 
covered the ground, the shadows of the trees lay in 
broad stripes. It was a very soothing scene, and 
after gazing upon it for several minutes she was 
about to drop the curtain and go back to bed, when 
she observed two figures enter the grounds by the 
great gate and approach the side door of the house. 
Philip had a key to that door and she quickly 
recognized one of these persons as her uncle. 

The two men drew near and finally passed out of 
her sight. She raised the window and heard the 
murmur of their voices below on the path. The 
two were engrossed in their conversation and a 
word that floated up to her roused Dollie’s curiosity 
to fever pitch. The sash had made no noise ; now 
she stepped out quickly into the crisp night air and 
walked softly to the edge of the roof. She was di- 
rectly above the two men and could see them 
plainly, although the wall of the house against 
which she leaned hid all but her uncovered head 
from any chance glance of those below. The sun 
that day had melted the snow on the slightly slop- 
ing roof of the ell, and then dried up all the mois- 
ture. The heavy garment she wore floated about 
her feet and kept them warm. 

338 


The Eve ^ War 


“So they’ve all been told that the time has 
come ? ” Philip Chesney asked his companion, as he 
stood with one foot upon the step. 

“ Yes. I got the news all right. I told Marshall 
as agreed.” 

“ What did he say ? ” 

“Humph! Nothin’ much. Something funny 
about that boy; has been ever since you sent for 
him to come over to Baltimore. Think he’s 
scared ? ” 

“ Not likely. He ain’t one of the scaring kind. 
Don’t know whether he was one of those who drew 
the ” 

“ Sh ! No. He’s never opened his lips to me. 
I’ve tried to pump him, too. If he weakens there’s 
enough others, anyway,” and a chuckle rose to the 
listener’s ear. She knew this man. It was Nat 
Cleft, and Dollie’s opinion of him coincided with 
Amy Marshall’s. She shuddered when she heard 
that chuckle. 

“ Well, if Abe Lincoln reaches Baltimore on the 
twenty-third — and you say it’s sure ? ” 

“Hasn’t been any change made in the plan. 
His crowd are watched too closely for us to be mis- 
taken,” said Cleft, confidently. 

“ Well, when he gets there we’ll have plenty to 
meet him, whether young Marshall goes or not. 
. . . But about this other thing. The boy’s 

secure ? ” 


339 


The Eve War 


“ I should say ! He fought like a wild-cat. A 
likely little rascal that. I’d feel safer if he and the 
man were across the river. Too bad we couldn’t 
finish the job to-night.” 

“ Humph ! Can’t do it very well. There’ll be no 
boat for them till midnight of Washington’s Birth- 
day, and maybe not until the night of the twenty- 
third. Besides, Luke will be coming into the house 
in a little while now. The black scoundrel sits in 
yonder from midnight on till daylight.” 

“What for?” 

“Oh, that’s a family matter. Cleft,” returned 
Philip, roughly. “We can’t always do as we’d like, 
you know. That confounded Joe Kansom is a 
thorn in my flesh all the time, and Kirk is an- 
other.” 

“Well, with Prettyman gone, you should have it 
your own way with the girl,” Cleft said, preparing 
to depart. 

“ Humph ! that’s as maybe. But I don’t propose 
to have her stir up the lawyer if I can help. Once 

get the whole crowd transported South ” His 

voice fell to a murmur. Dollie could no longer 
hear, and after a minute Cleft walked briskly down 
the path and she heard her uncle unlock the door 
and enter the house. She scurried back to her 
room, shutting the window and creeping shiveringly 
into bed. 

“Oh, I wonder what it’s all about?” she mur- 
340 


T'he Eve of 'Wax 


mured and lay there in terror and uncertainty as 
the slow hours, punctuated by the solemn strokes of 
the clock below, crept by. By morning, after a 
very little slumber, she was determined to find Joe 
at any cost. Mercury had not appeared, and 
Mammy’s face was much downcast when the girl 
made inquiries about the child. 

“Ah done hope he’s runned erway fo’ good,” de- 
clared the black woman. “ Ah hope he’s gwine 
Norf. Ah ain’ got no manner o’ use for dese yere 
Yankees ; but I’se er-f eared ob Mars’ Philip Ches- 
ney, an’ dat’s er fac’.” 

“Why, Mammy Laura, I would not let Uncle 
Philip dispose of Mercury, or Luke,” declared the 
girl. 

“ Oh, honey, yo’ couldn’t he’p yo’se’f, ’deed yo’ 
couldn’t. Dese air turrible times — turrible times ! ” 

Being bereft of even Mammy Laura’s usually 
comforting converse, and seeing that Uncle Luke 
was moody, too, Dollie’s determination to solve the 
mystery of Joe’s absence was strengthened. She 
told Luke to saddle her own riding horse, upon 
whose back she had not been for nearly two 
months, and soon after breakfast the old man 
brought the mount around to the block. Philip 
Chesney appeared on the porch just as Dollie came 
down in her riding habit. “Where are you go- 
ing ? ” he demanded, sharply. But the girl passed 
him without replying, gathered the horse’s bridle in 

341 


T^he Eve of 


one hand, put her foot in Luke’s broad palm, and 
mounting quickly, rode away. This was Dollie’s 
declaration of war ; Philip recognized it as such, and 
his face was black enough as he turned back into 
the house. 

Dollie rode first to the Marshalls’. She did not 
see Tom, but Amy met her tearfully. “ Oh, Dollie, 
that dreadful Cleft has been here again to talk to 
Tom. And the dear boy is so worried. Tom fears 
that he should tell him — or somebody else, I don’t 
know who — what happened to him the time he was 
in Baltimore. Tom says that he has been warned 
that the man who drew the — the ballot must go to 
Baltimore again,” and she whispered this in Dollie’s 
ear as the latter bent down from her saddle. “ Tom 
is so worried. He didn’t draw the ballot, of course, 
he didn’t draw any ; but Joe did.” 

“ And where is Joe ? ” demanded Dollie, breaking 
in upon her volubility. 

“ Why — why — I haven’t the least idea.” 

“ He went away yesterday morning. Didn’t he 
come here?” 

“Ho, indeed. And Tom hasn’t seen him, of 
course. They have scarcely spoken to each other 
since that time, you know.” 

“ Then you can’t tell me anything about Joe ?” 

“ Ho, dear. Do you want him ? ” 

“ I never wanted him so much in my life ! ” de- 
clared Dollie, with trembling lip. “You were 

342 


The Eve of Tlzx 


right, Amy. I don’t deserve such a brother. I 
haven’t half appreciated him.” 

“But you have your uncle, Mr. Philip Ches- 
ney ? ” 

Dollie gave her a look which astonished Amy 
much. “ Don’t mention his name to me ! ” little 
Miss Chesney declared, riding off swiftly. 

She would see Lawyer Kirk. He had not been to 
the Chesney house for two days, and Dollie felt 
that it would be dreadfully hard to meet him in his 
office ; but see him she must. She dismounted be- 
fore the old building in which Kirk’s offices were 
situated and tied her horse without assistance. 
When she entered with much hesitancy the gloomy 
suite of rooms, occupied by the lanky attorney from 
time immemorial, it must be confessed that Miss 
Dollie asked for Mr. Kirk in a very shaky voice. 
She wanted to run away, like a child going to the 
dentist’s. Her need of Mr. Kirk did not seem half 
so great, now that she was here. But unfortunately 
for her, the attorney was not present. 

“ Why, miss,” said the old clerk, stooping from 
his high desk-chair and peering at her through his 
spectacles, “ I am very sorry that you should have 
come all this distance for nothing. If I can be of 
any assistance, command me. But Mr. Kirk was 
called suddenly to Alexandria City yesterday and 
has not returned.” 

“I — I wished to know if he had seen Major 
343 


T^he Eve of 

Chesney’s ward since yesterday morning ? ” faltered 
Dollie. 

“ Master Joe Eansom ?” 

“ Yes, sir.’^ 

“Master Eansom was in the office yesterday 
morning. I took his name to Mr. Kirk myself.” 

“ Then perhaps Joe went to Alexandria with Mr. 
Kirk?” 

“I do not think so. But, if I am rightly in- 
formed, Master Eansom came to request permission 
from Mr. Kirk, who is acting as his guardian dur- 
ing Major Chesney’s illness, to leave town. I am 
quite sure he was not going South, however.” 

“ Do you know where he has gone, sir ? ” cried 
the girl, clasping her hands. 

“No idea at all, miss. But it may be possible 
for me to learn. Would you wish to know later in 
the day ? ” 

“ Oh, yes, sir ! ” 

“I will make inquiries and communicate with 
you, miss,” said the old clerk and Dollie retreated, 
disappointed at learning nothing more definite re- 
garding Joe’s whereabouts. There was nothing to 
do but ride home which she did, taking the nearest 
road to Chesney House. On the way she happened 
to see Paul Gladden, and remembering Mercury’s 
disappearance she quickened her horse’s pace to 
overtake her friend. Paul, glancing back over his 
shoulder, must have seen her ; yet he dodged into 
344 


The Eve ^ War 


a near-by store and although Dollie rode up and 
down before the store for some minutes, waiting 
for his reappearance, he failed to come out. 

When she reached Chesney House Philip greeted 
her very sternly indeed. “ I wish to speak with 
you, young lady,” he said, when she came down- 
stairs after changing her habit for a house dress, 
and he held the drawing-room door open. 

“ I must see how grandfather is,” she told him^ 
and tried to pass, but her uncle placed himself 
firmly in her path. “ Why, sir ! ” Her eyes flashed 
and she looked at him proudly. 

“ Come in here ! ” commanded Philip, harshly, 
and taking her by the arm actually thrust her into 
the room before him. “ Now, miss, listen to me ! ” 
he said, glowering upon the frightened and indig- 
nant girl. “ You evidently do not understand your 
position. You have been having your own way 
for so long that you do not know whom to obey. 
You will obey me — me, do you understand ?” 

“ What right have you to talk so to me ? ” gasped 
Dollie. 

“ The best right in the world, miss. I am your 
guardian at present.” 

“ And you’ll not be that for long, sir ! ” cried the 
girl, proudly. 

“ Oh, don’t think you can swap guardians as easy 
as you can change gowns. It is not a matter to be 
altered by every fickle breath of a girl’s will ! You 
345 


The Eve ^ War 


secured the Doctor instead of Mr. Kirk, who acted 
for your grandfather ; the court will look into the 
matter rather sharply before it allows you to change 
your mind again. The Doctor is not in town and 
he hats delegated me to attend you. And I shall do so.” 

“ I’ll have nothing to do with you, Philip Ches- 
ney ! ” Dollie cried. “ You are a bad man ! ” 

“ And you are a very silly girl ! ” he snarled, ad- 
vancing upon her and seizing her wrist in a grasp 
which left a mark on the tender flesh for the rest 
of the day. “ Don’t you defy me. Miss ! If you 
do, you’ll regret it, I assure you. You can’t run to 
Kirk as that young dog, Joe Kansom does. Kirk 
is away, too. I know that.” Then without an- 
other word he walked out of the room and out of 
the house. Dollie hurried to her grandfather and 
was with him when Dr. Blumenthal arrived. The 
Doctor’s assistant brought in the battery which he 
desired to be used upon the paralytic. Philip 
Chesney had been approached by the nurse for per- 
mission to use the instrument upon his father. 
“I don’t care what you do to him,” the son de- 
clared with brutal frankness. So the test was made 
and Dollie looked on with burning eyes and tightly 
clasped hands, as the limbs, dead so long, twitched 
with a power not their own. It seemed awful ; yet 
after the application the Major was able to use his 
right hand more freely than before, and Dr. Blu- 
menthal was encouraged. 

346 


T^he Eve ^ War 


Soon after the Doctors visit a junior clerk from 
Mr. Kirk’s office came to the house with a note for 
Dollie. It was in a writing quite strange to the 
young girl and read very formally ; and the clerk, 
departing at once, made no explanation of this 
seeming enigma : “ Colonel Charles P. Stone can 
give Miss Chesney, personally, any information she 
may desire regarding the absence of Joseph Ean- 
som. Major-General Weightman’s office. War De- 
partment.” 

Dollie knew well enough who Colonel Stone was, 
and she disliked him quite as much as her friends 
did. So, when she first read the note, her wrath 
rose against Joe, too. But soon she remembered 
how much she needed the young fellow, and she 
hastened to don her riding habit, sending word to 
Luke to once more saddle her chestnut. It was not 
quite proper for a young lady to ride about Wash- 
ington unattended, but she could not be balked by 
a mere matter of propriety. She rode swiftly into 
town and entered the War Department with much 
more confidence in her appearance than she felt in 
her heart. Inquiring the way to Weightman’s of- 
fice she was conducted quickly to Colonel Stone’s 
desk. 

The Colonel evidently knew her. A curious little 
smile played about his lips as he rose to welcome 
his visitor. “ May I know your will, miss ? ” he 
asked, quietly. 


347 


The Eve of Yh 2a: 


Dollie went at once to the point of her visit, and 
although her cheeks were burning and the tears 
were very near her eyes, she managed to ask for 
Joe without breaking down. “ I cannot tell you 
exactly where he is at present. Miss Chesne3^ I 
presume I am speaking to Miss Dollie Chesney ? ” 
She bowed silently and the Colonel went on : “ He 
went first to Baltimore. But I believe he has gone 
on farther. I can, however, send him any message 
you may desire.” 

She hesitated a moment and then asked : “ May 
— may I write a letter here ? ” 

“ A wire would be much quicker — if you can put 
your message briefly,” he said, smiling quietly. 

“ Oh, of course,” said Dollie, in greater confusion. 
“ I — I want him to come home very much. Do you 
think he can ? ” 

“ I have not a doubt of it. He went away much 
against his will.” 

“Then let me write it — quick!” she almost 
gasped, and that is how the telegraph dispatch, 
which was placed in Joe Ransom’s hands on the 
Philadelphia platform, came to be written. 

But that dispatch had to go first to Bookstaver 
at Baltimore, by him was delivered to Timothy 
Webster, who sent it on to “ J. H. Hutchinson” at 
the St. Louis Hotel in Philadelphia. So, many 
precious hours were lost — hours freighted with 
anxiety and terror for the writer of the message. 

348 


The Eve of War 


Dollie wasted little thought regarding her uncle’s 
continued absence from the house ; but she watched 
the gateway for Joe, or for some news from him. 
She believed that he would start home the instant 
he heard from her — no matter where he was, or 
what he was doing. Such was her faith in her old 
friend’s loyalty. That message would not go long 
unanswered. As the day wore on, however, no 
word came from Joe, nor did Mercury return. The 
black boy had never stayed so long away from home 
before, for he usually grew tired quickly of being a 
“ runaway.” Mammy’s face was tear-streaked, 
and Luke, as he sat in the darkened end of the 
library that afternoon, looked very solemn in- 
deed. 

But it gave Dollie inexpressible comfort to see 
the faithful old man at his station. The misfortune 
of a black skin and birth to a life of slavery had 
not kept Uncle Luke from proving himself a noble, 
self-sacrificing man on many occasions. Dollie re- 
membered the story of how Luke, refusing to be 
separated from his young mistress, had followed 
her mother afoot all the way from Virginia to the 
Chesney plantation in South Carolina. And the 
girl knew he was quite as devoted to her as he had 
been to her mother, who died before Dollie was 
old enough to remember. Indeed, so comforting 
was Luke’s presence that she was tempted to keep 
him in the house all night, although Mammy always 
349 


T‘he Eve ^ War 


watched in the sick room from dinner-time until 
midnight. 

Philip came back to dinner, however, and Dollie 
did not know how her uncle might take any change 
in the usual program of the household affairs. She 
was actually afraid of Philip now. Why did not 
Joe come ? More than once he had shown that he 
did not fear the Major’s wicked son. She refused 
to eat dinner with her uncle, and when the nurse 
went to her room as usual during the evening, 
Dollie remained with Mammy in the library, sitting 
near her in the dark and holding the old woman’s 
hand. And at last, when the muffled bell clanged 
in the hall, the girl almost screamed aloud, so 
nervous had she become. After a moment’s hesi- 
tancy she hurried to the door, hoping that the sum- 
mons was from Joe. But Philip was before her. 
She saw him open the outer door and the light from 
the hanging lamp fell upon the face of the man 
whom she had overheard talking with her uncle the 
previous evening. 

“ Ah ! you’ve arrived,” said Chesney, with satis- 
faction. He wore his broad-brimmed hat and the 
military cloak was flung over his arm. Evidently 
he had been expecting the coming of Cleft all the 
evening ; it was now considerably after ten. “ 1 
feared something had delayed you.” 

Where’s the man ? ” Dollie heard Nat Cleft 
ask from the foot of the steps. 

350 


The Eve War 


“ Asleep over the stable. He’s safe. And when 
you’re off with him I’ll come back here and do a 
job I’ve been longing to do for weeks. Kirk is over 
to Alexandria. How’s my chance. I’ll know be- 
fore morning whether there is a will in yonder, or 
not — one beside the unsigned paper I was telling 
you about, you know.” Cleft’s voice was a murmur 
only, but Philip stood just without the door, putting 
on his cloak. “ It looks to me as though the old 
man tried to do me a mean trick in the end,” he 
pursued. “ I’ll bet there’s a will giving me some of 
the estate, after all, and this new one he was writ- 
ing when he was taken ill was to cut me out.” 

He followed Cleft, and Dollie heard no more. 
She leaned breathlessly against the door-post, her 
face pallid, her eyes sparkling with excitement. 
Philip proposed to ransack his father’s papers this 
very night ! He knew Lawyer Kirk was not at 
home and that there would be nobody, with Luke 
away, to keep him from doing as he pleased. And 
what did he propose to do with Luke ? 

Minute after minute the girl stood there thinking. 
To whom could she go for help ? The neighbors 
would not take her part against Philip. They be- 
lieved him the head of the family. At last, flinging 
a scarf about her head and shoulders and tearing 
open the door, she ran out into the night. As she 
crossed the lawn she heard a sudden commotion 
from the stable and then a muffled cry. Creeping 

351 


The Eve ^ War 


stealthily to the open door she peered around the 
frame into the dusky interior. A lantern feebly 
lighted the place. Cleft and Philip Chesney were 
hastily harnessing the carriage horses to an old 
covered vehicle which had long since been relegated 
to the disuse of the lumber room. 

Suddenly, right before her, and lashed upright to 
a wooden post, she beheld the figure of a man. He 
was bound with many windings of rope, his hands 
behind him, unable to move a limb. It was Uncle 
Luke, and he was gagged. She could see his eyes 
rolling in agony as his great muscles strained 
against the cruel bonds. Dollie saw that his cap- 
tors proposed to take him away in this old carriage ; 
but where she could not guess. For a moment it 
seemed to her that she must scream and try to call 
the neighbors to her help. 

Swiftly she sped back across the lawn and into 
the house. She breathlessly entered the library 
where the sick man lay, and where Mammy Laura 
nodded in her chair, and locked the door behind 
her. Then she hurried to the windows, closed all 
the heavy inside shutters, and barred them. The 
house had been built in ancient times and was 
almost a fortress. 

Mammy saw all this with absolute terror. 
“ Wha — what yo’ doin’, honey ? ” she quavered, 
rising and seizing Dollie’s arm as the girl stood 
before Major Chesney ’s tall desk. Without re- 
352 


T'he Eve ^ War 


plying, her little mistress selected a key from the 
bunch hanging at her belt, and unlocked the desk. 
She had kept the secret of this key from everybody 
until now. When the doors masking the pigeon- 
holes swung back, she thrust a hand into one of the 
larger boxes and brought out, one after another, 
a pair of silver-mounted holster-pistols. Mammy 
crouched back into her chair, moaning and repeat- 
ing her question. 

Dollie looked to see that both weapons were 
loaded. Joe Kansom had taught her how to use 
fire-arms. ‘‘ Hush, Mammy ! ” she said to the old 
woman. “ I’ll tell you what I am going to do. I 
am going to shoot my uncle, Philip Chesney, if 
he tries to get in here and disturb grandfather’s 
papers ! ” 


353 


CHAPTER XXII 


A NIGHT RIDE 

“ Please come at once. I need you. D. C.” 

The words, scrawled upon the yellow slip of 
paper, and read in the uncertain light on the rail- 
way platform, while the train slowl)^ rumbled 
by and he was jostled by trainmen and be- 
lated passengers, were photographed upon Joe’s 
memory with such distinctness that he would never 
forget just how the telegram looked. It was as 
startling as a cry for help, and after the first 
stunned wonder with which he scanned the words, 
Joe Ransom became very much alive. 

The rear of the belated train was just passing 
when Joe aroused himself. He made a fiying leap 
for the step and caught it. He had seized the 
rail with both hands and as the train sped out of 
the station he swung back and might have even 
then been dropped behind, had not a firm grasp 
upon his collar steadied him and finally brought 
him to an upright position on the lower step of the 
car. The boy looked up with thankfulness into a 
face he had learned to know well. “Oh, Mr. 
Pinkerton ! ” he cried. 

“Is this the way you usually board trains?” 
demanded the detective, grimly. 

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The Eve of 


“JS'o, sir. But I nearly lost this one.” 

“ Didn’t Knox give you that telegram I received 
for you an hour ago ? ” 

“ Yes, sir. Just as I was handing over the packet 
to Mr. Litzenburg. And the telegram nearly struck 
me dumb — there ! I’ve dropped it. Kever mind ; 
I know who it’s from. I only wish I knew what 
she wanted me for,” finished Joe with a sigh. Then 
he looked quickly at the detective. “ Are you go- 
ing to leave Philadelphia just now, sir, when Mr. 
Lincoln is in such danger ? ” 

The detective smiled again. “ If Mr. Lincoln is 
in danger, so am I and so are you, young man. 
You are on the train with him.” 

“ He’s — not — on — this — train ! ” 

“ He is. In this very car. He is just preparing 
for bed and I have promised him a good night’s 
sleep.” 

Then Joe saw that this was a sleeping car he had 
boarded. “I don’t belong here, sir. They gave 
me a ticket at Superintendent Kenney’s office, but 
there was no berth-check attached.” 

“ You remain here. Give up your ticket later to 
the conductor. You can’t pass through the three 
sections engaged for Mr. Lincoln now. I have 
Bangs and Mrs. Warn on guard in there and Knox, 
the porter, has his orders, too. I shall stay here 
during the night myself, and now that you are here 
you will have to make the best of it. It would 
^ 355 


‘The Eve of 'Wax 


cause comment among the other passengers did you 
go through now. We want to keep this quiet if we 
can.” 

Indeed, so circumspect was the detective, that the 
superintendent of the New York police, John A. 
Kennedy himself, hurrying south to make provision 
for protecting the President-elect when he arrived 
in Baltimore as expected on the next day, occupied 
a berth in the same sleeper with Mr. Lincoln, and 
had no suspicion of the identity of the party that 
had boarded the car just before the train left Phila- 
delphia. Allan Pinkerton kept his place upon the 
rear platform of the train that he might see the 
signals arranged for with his guards stationed along 
the line of the railroad. The most elaborate pre- 
cautions had been taken against any and all emer- 
gencies. Mr. Pinkerton well knew that Southern 
sympathizers among the railroad employees had 
threatened to burn trestles and bridges ; so for sev- 
eral days the railroad company had placed gangs of 
trusted men at every point of danger, mainly to act 
as a reserve force should rioting break out, but 
ostensibly to repair and paint the threatened struc- 
tures. Some of the bridges were even given a 
coating of a preparation to render the wood- work 
fire-proof. 

In addition, there was an armed sentinel at every 
bridge and crossroad throughout the zone of danger, 
and as the train rolled by, each of these sentinels, 

356 


"The Eve of War 

as previously instructed, flashed signals from his 
dark-lantern to the chief detective guarding the 
rear platform of Mr. Lincoln’s sleeper. Joe soon 
saw that these lights were what Mr. Pinkerton re- 
mained there to see, and as the train rushed on into 
the South and signal after signal flashed bravely 
through the darkness, the boy’s heart grew lighter, 
for he knew the gleaming rays meant: “All’s 
well ! ” 

Mr. Pinkerton’s countenance gave no sign of sat- 
isfaction, however. Even when the train reached 
Havre de Grace without accident, he still stood 
grimly at his post. This was, as he knew, a point 
of extreme danger, for it was the frontier past 
which many Marylanders had declared Abraham 
Lincoln should not come. As the train slowed 
down, preparatory to running upon the ferry-boat 
which here transported it across the river, Joe, who 
sat upon the top step of the car, looked up into the 
detective’s face and saw that it was strangely 
moved. The man stood with his head thrust for- 
ward and his hands gripping the iron rail so tensely 
that his fingers looked dead white against the black 
railing. He was straining every nerve, waiting for 
the signal without which he dared not allow the 
President’s train to run upon the boat. 

A point of light appeared in the darkness beside 
the track. Joe saw it, too, and watched intently to 
see what it might be. It’ was different from the 
357 


‘The Eve oj" Tf nr 

other signals he had noticed. Was it a switch- 
light, or 

Suddenly the strange light flashed twice. Allan 
Pinkerton’s broad shoulders heaved with a sigh of 
relief. For the first time since leaving the confines 
of Philadelphia he spoke to his young companion. 
“That’s your friend, Timothy Webster,” he said. 
“ He’s on deck. When he says ‘ all’s well,’ we can 
go on without much apprehension for the ferry.” 

And this confidence in his most trusted lieutenant 
was not misplaced. The train ran upon the boat 
without accident and was transported to the other 
side. But now came the last stretch of the run to 
Baltimore, through the very stronghold of Mr. 
Lincoln’s enemies. To Joe’s mind the peril was 
even more imminent, and he knew that Mr. Pinker- 
ton’s mind was still uneasy. Suppose at the last 
moment, something had gone wrong ? Suppose 
some detail had miscarried and Mr. Lincoln’s de- 
parture from Harrisburg was known in Baltimore ? 
The thought kept Joe Kansom warm enough, 
despite his position upon the back platform of an 
express train on this winter’s night. His mind 
reverted to the evening he had been one of twent}^' 
persons in an upper room in Baltimore, where lots 
were cast for the appointment of the assassin of the 
President-elect. Those earnest, determined men, 
one at least powerful and influential in the State, 
were not to be lightly balked. He could see again 

358 


"The Eve War 


their stern faces. Fernandina’s convulsed features 
as he stared at the chairman while the latter spoke, 
were indelibly impressed upon the boy’s memory. 
Could such men as he be so easily deceived ? 

Baltimore society was honeycombed with the 
conspiracy. High and low, rich and poor, were 
alike cognizant of the planned attempt upon Mr. 
Lincoln’s life when he should arrive at the Calvert 
Street station. What if the hour of that arrival 
had been set ahead, as it was ? Was that sufficient 
to overthrow such a conspiracy ? Hundreds of 
men were doubtless planning to surround the 
station at the proper moment ; men equal to any 
desperate deed. Each knew the part he had to 
perform in the attempt. These would start a fight 
among themselves to draw away the police ; here 
were the men who planned to crowd in about the 
car-steps and make way for those who had been 
appointed to kill the new Chief Executive. And 
how many were there of these last, who had drawn 
the red ballot at that meeting ? Allan Pinkerton 
knew of several. Fernandina might be one. Joe 
remembered the threat the barber had made that 
afternoon in the Chesney stable. He held his own 
life cheaply if so be he might deliver the blow that 
would rid the South of the man whom she con- 
sidered her arch enemy ! 

And still the train rolled on, past hamlet and 
farm, past wooded hill and low meadow over 
359 


The Eve of 'Wax 

which the night-mist lay like a shroud. The heat 
went out of Joe’s blood at last. He trembled, how- 
ever, with more than the chill of the night-air. In 
spite of all, he could not drive out of his thought 
the picture of the crowded station, with a thousand 
human wolves fighting about this car where Mr. 
Lincoln now lay calmly sleeping. The humming of 
the wires strung on the telegraph poles rose above 
the rumble of the swiftly moving train. Suppose 
somebody back in Philadelphia, or in Harrisburg, 
proved traitor and even now a warning was flying 
over the wires which would call a clamorous and 
bloodthirsty crowd to the railway station at Balti- 
more ? Joe clung to the railing, seeing the^flashes 
of light from the lanterns of Pinkerton’s sentinels, 
but encouraged now in no wise by the thought that , 
they were on watch. They were not at Baltimore. : 
What was going on there ? That was the query ^ 
that troubled the youth. 

He looked again into Allan Pinkerton’s face. It 
was like a mask, stern, wide-eyed, without fear yet j 
without any light of satisfaction upon it. He 
wondered what was passing in the great detective’s 
mind, who had pledged his life for the President- i 
elect’s safe arrival at Washington City ? What 
could he, and the two or three other detectives - 
with him, do to guard Mr. Lincoln should the train 
roll into Baltimore in the early morning and the . 
station be found crowded with desperate men ? 

360 j 


The Eve War 


They might fight ; but so would the Baltimoreans, 
Joe was sure. And the fiame of battle, catching 
here on the shores of Chesapeake Bay, would spread 
all over the country. Rioting and bloodshed would 
follow in a hundred cities, if Mr. Lincoln was shot 
down. Joe knew enough about the tenor of public 
feeling to realize that. 

The thought appalled him. He rose to his feet 
and stood beside the detective, who was craning his 
neck around a corner of the car. Suddenly Pinker- 
ton seized his wrist and drew him forward that he 
might see, too. The train had just passed the fiash- 
ing signal-lamp of one of the sentinels ; it was not 
another light that glimmered ahead, and which Joe 
now saw. Nay, there were a dozen lamps — then 
fifty — then a hundred ! He stared at the points of 
light which had suddenly fiashed out in the dark- 
ness, his eyes watering in the wind. “ What is it ? 
what is it ? ” he breathed. 

“ Baltimore ! ” exclaimed Allan Pinkerton. 

“So quickly?” gasped Joe, falling back and 
gazing into the unmoved face of the man. 

“ Aye.” 

“ Will — will it be safe to go in ? ” 

“That signal was the last before we reach the 
yard — ah ! here are the switches.” The car-wheels 
began to bump over the frogs. 

“ Suppose they know we are coming ? ” cried Joe 
in his ear. 

361 


"The Eve of 'Wax 


“We’ll know if they do in a minute now,” said 
the detective, and again he leaned over the gate to 
look ahead. Joe looked out upon the other side. 
He saw the vari-colored switch lights; then the 
lamps of the station flashed into view ; there was a 
roar of the engine’s exhaust as it rushed under the 
hood of the station ; and then 

The train rolled alongside the platform and 
stopped. The place was empty but for half a dozen 
sleepy employees. The city was asleep ; the con* 
spirators suspected nothing ! J oe fell back against 
the side of the car. The strain of apprehension un- 
der which he had labored snapped like a pack- 
thread. The fear which had been his companion 
for weeks, and which during these past few hours 
had become a real nightmare, was a bubble, blown 
away in an instant. Baltimore, at half-past three 
on the morning of February twenty-third, was safe ! 

At Baltimore Joe sought a more comfortable part 
of the train in which to ride, and dozed away the 
remainder of the journey to the National Capital. 
The run being made without mishap, the train 
reached Washington at six o’clock. Boused from 
his uneasy sleep Joe left the car and found a group 
which interested him intensely, gathered upon the 
platform. The figure which first caught his atten- 
tion was that of the venerable Commander-in-Chief 
of the United States Army, General Winfield Scott, 
and beside him stood the future Secretary of State, 
362 


The Eve ^ War 


William H. Seward. Both these gentlemen ad- 
vanced hastily as the tall figure of Mr. Lincoln left 
the train, leaning on the arm of Allan Pinkerton. 

The General and Mr. Seward wrung the Presi- 
dent-elect’s hand with a fervor which showed the 
anxiety under which they had labored during the 
past few hours, and Joe heard Mr. Seward say : “ I 
was never so glad to see any one in my life as I am 
to see you this morning ! ” The party moved toward 
the carriage in waiting outside the station, and the 
boy lingered no further. The words of Mr. Seward 
rang in his ears. Joe wondered if Dollie Chesney 
was as anxiously awaiting his coming as the gentle- 
men were the appearance of Mr. Lincoln. After 
the way Dollie seemed to look upon him for weeks 
past, there must certainly be strong reasons for her 
calling him so urgently. 

Early as it was he found a hack outside, and 
jumping in, ordered the driver to hurry to the 
Georgetown residence of Major Chesney. And all 
the way he had his head out of the window every 
minute or two, demanding of the Jehu if he could 
not make his beasts go faster. Yet when he ar- 
rived at the gate everything seemed peaceful about 
the place. He leaped out, paid the driver, and ran 
up the path. The house looked deserted and he 
saw that the inside shutters of the library, where 
the Major lay ill, were tightly closed. As he ar- 
rived at the porch the front door stood ajar, a lamp 

363 


The Eve War 


burned dully in the hall, and his ears were greeted 
by the angry voice of Philip Chesney as he declared 
to some unknown and invisible person : “ I’ll smash 
the lock of this door if you do not at once admit 
me 1 ” 

Joe sprang up the steps and looked with amaze- 
ment into the hall. Chesney stood, fuming with 
rage and impatience, before the library door, and 
with an axe in his hands. “ Open this door ! ” he 
said again, not loudly but with terrible earnestness. 

Open it, I say, or I’ll smash the lock. I have had 
quite enough of this foolishness. Since midnight 
now, miss, you have kept me out. I’ll stand it no 
longer. Open, I say ! ” 

“ Go away ! ” A muffled voice which Joe recog- 
nized as Dollie’s spoke from beyond the door. “ If 
you try to break in, Philip Chesney, I shall shoot 
right through the panel ! ” 

“ Bah ! ” exclaimed the man, unbelievingly, and 
swung up the axe for a heavy blow. 

Like the crack of a whip came the interruption of 
Joe’s voice: “Drop that!” Philip turned in 
amazement and saw him. He stared for a moment 
unwinkingly at young Kansom. “Drop that axe 
instantly, sir! Would you smash that door when 
your father lies ill behind it ? ” 

At that Philip’s surprise melted and rage pos- 
sessed him. He swung about and advanced upon 
Joe with eyes that glowed red murder in their 

364 


T'he Eve ^ War 


depths, still with the axe held above his head. A 
sudden thankfulness to Tom Marshall rose in J oe’s 
breast and whipping out the big revolver he had 
carried ever since he took it away from his chum in 
the old house in Baltimore, he allowed Philip dies 
ney to focus his gaze down the black barrel. Drop 
that axe ! ” he repeated, softly, and the man obeyed. 
“Now go,” continued Joe, and seizing his cloak 
from the floor where it had fallen, Chesney dashed 
from the house, and the boy watched him go down 
the path and out at the gate. Then he closed the 
hall entrance and put up the chain before he rapped 
at the library door. 

“ Go away ! ” said the voice behind it, and Joe 
saw that Dollie was unshaken. 

“ Won’t you let me in, Dollie ? ” he asked, raising 
his voice. 

“ Joe ! Joe ! ” The words were uttered with a 
delight that warmed the boy to the core. The bolt 
shot back and the door was flung open. “ Dear old 
Joe ! ” cried the voice, and a hurricane of frowsy 
hair, tearful eyes, and two warlike duelling pistols 
was flung into his arms. “ Dear, dear brother ! ” 
she cried. “ I wanted you so much. And I had 
begun to think you would never come.” 

Mammy Laura hovered in the background, her 
face almost ashen, and her trembling lips mutter- 
ing : “ Lor’ bress yo’, honey ! ” again and again. 
“ Why ! ” cried Joe, in wonder, “ you look as though 


"The Eve of Wzt 

you had been under seige here. Where is the 
nurse ? ” 

“ Philip Chesney sent her away before midnight.” 

“ What ! And how is Major Chesney ? ” He 
went hastily to the nearest Avindow and opened the 
shutters. The sunlight was flung across the head 
of the invalid’s couch. The old Major slept as 
peacefully as a child and the poor withered lips 
were wreathed in a smile as though, even in his 
slumber, he knew the black-hearted villain who had 
made Chesney House so unhappy for them all had 
at last gone from beneath its roof. 

While Mammy hurried to the kitchen to arouse 
the frightened servants to activity and to get break- 
fast for the traveler, Joe sat in the library and list- 
ened to the story Dollie had to tell. And as he 
listened his rage against Philip Chesney did not 
cool. Long before Dollie had flnished the boy de- 
cided upon a plan of action. “ You have ‘ held the 
fort ’ so long, Dollie,” Joe said, “ you must continue 
to do so for an hour or two. This time barricade 
the house. I will go around and fasten all the 
lower shutters. Philip Chesney may return ; but I 
must go and find Uncle Luke and Mercury first of 
all. They must not be carried off.” 

“ Yes, yes, Joe ! ” cried the girl. “ With you near 
I shall not be afraid of Uncle Philip.” 

“ I’ll send somebody here to patrol the grounds, 
anyway. But the slaves we must have.” 

366 


T'he Eve of W?lv 


“ I — I never thought of Uncle Luke and Mercury 
as ray property, Joe,” whispered the girl. 

“Well, Dollie, that’s what they are. They’re 
nothing but chattels ; and from a legal point of view 
it’s well that is so, just now. Even if they have been 
taken into Virginia, we can recover them. And 
Philip Chesney and Cleft shall smart for this. Be- 
sides — ah ! ” he looked at Dollie sharply. “ You 
say that Mercury went away with Paul Glad- 
den ? ” 

“ Why, yes ; I let him show Paul to the creek 
where you and Tom go fishing.” 

“ He knows where it is. He’s been there in our 
company,” said Joe, shortly. 

“ Oh, the rascal ! ” cried Dollie. “ Then — then he 
was helping Uncle Philip and I^at Cleft?” 

“ That’s it. How, Dollie, is breakfast ready ? 1 
am as hungry as a bear. Seems to me I haven’t 
eaten properly for a fortnight. At least, I got 
nothing fit to eat in Philadelphia.” 

“ In Philadelphia ! ” 

“ That’s where I have been. Just got back at six 
o’clock. Your telegram reached me as the train 
was starting south last night.” 

“What have you been doing, Joe?” she de- 
manded, curiously. 

“I have been to see Mr. Allan Pinkerton, the 
great Chicago detective, to tell him what I knew 
about the plan to assassinate Mr. Lincoln.” 

367 


The Eve of 

“ And what will he do ? Will that Lincoln really 
try to come to Washington?” 

“Well, there’s nothing further to be done about 
it, for Abraham Lincoln is already here,” said Joe, 
with satisfaction. “ He came on the train I did. 
The Baltimore people did not even know that he 
had left Harrisburg, and they won’t know it until 
the Washington papers tell them to-day ! ” 

“ Oh, Joe ! and you brought him here ? ” 

“ Ho — o,” admitted the boy, slowly. “ Reckon I 
didn’t have much to do with that. But I had a 
chance to speak to him. He — he’s a great man, 
Dollie, and, what is more, I believe he is a good 
man.” 

The girl shook her head slowly. “We had better 
not talk of these things, Joe, dear. I don’t want to 
be angry with my brother any longer. I — I hope 
you’ll forgive me, Joe ? ” 

Joe flushed at that, and got up in a hurry. “ It 
— it’s all right, of course, Dollie. Don’t say any- 
thing about it. How’s breakfast ? ” 

Fifteen minutes later the boy left the house car- 
rying, besides the revolver which had once been 
Tom Marshall’s, the rifle which was part of his ac- 
coutrement as a member of the military company. 
The house he left barred against all intruders. The 
stable door was open and the boy found that the 
Major’s carriage horses were gone. He saddled 
Sultan and his own horse, Jackie, and astride the 
368 


"The Eve War 


first and leading the other, cantered away from the 
Chesney place. Dollie had told him Mr. Kirk was 
away, so he did not go to the lawyer’s house. There 
was a member of his company living near by, how- 
ever, and Joe stopped there and requested the man 
to patrol .the Chesney grounds and keep a sharp 
lookout for Philip, who might return while he was 
absent. Then he rode on to Tom Marshall’s house. 

Tom was the one person in the world whom he 
could depend upon in this emergency. There might 
be a coolness between them, but Joe knew how Tom 
would feel about this matter. His riding up to the 
door with two horses brought young Marshall out 
upon the veranda instantly. “ What is the matter, 
Joe ? ” Tom cried. “ When did you get home 
again? Dollie was here looking for you, Amy 
says.” 

“ I want you,” cried Joe. “ Luke and Mercury 
have been carried off. Philip Chesney is trying to 
send them South to work on the fortifications. I 
heard him and Hat Cleft talking it over once, but 
it never got through my thick head that they were 
speaking of Dollie’s servants.” 

“ The negroes have been stolen ? ” cried Tom. 

“ Y es. Last night Luke was taken. Mercury was 
enticed away the day before. Gladden had some- 
thing to do with it. We must find him first.” 

“ Paul Gladden ? ” 

“ Yes. Will you come ? ” 

369 


The Eve ^ War 


“ Of course, old man ! ” cried Marshall, in his 
own hearty way. “ I’ll get my gun and be down 
in a minute. But I’ll have my own horse saddled.” 

“I’ve brought Jackie for Paul. We shall have 
to make him go with us.” 

Tom clattered up-stairs and then clattered down 
again just as the Marshalls’ family servant brought 
his young master’s horse around from the stable. 
Tom sprang into the saddle and his mount followed 
Sultan and the led-horse out of the yard and along 
the street. Paul Gladden lived not far away. His 
parents, although Northerners by birth, were 
staunchly Southern in sentiment and moved in 
the most aristocratic society of the capital. Paul’s 
father was a very wealthy man ; but Paul did not 
own a horse as many of his friends did. Horse- 
back riding was much too violent exercise for his 
rather effeminate taste. 

“ You get him out of the house, Tom,” said Joe, as 
they drew near the very splendid modern residence 
occupied by the Gladdens. “ He won’t come for 
me, perhaps. This is a serious matter, you know,” 
and Tom agreed, for while they rode along Joe had 
related the recent occurrences at Chesney House. 

Tom, who was a more or less frequent visitor at 
the Gladden’s, and was well known to the servants, 
ran up to Paul’s room himself and routed that 
worthy out of bed. What he told Paul to make 
him dress and come down so quickly Joe never 

370 


The Eve ^ War 


knew. But soon young Gladden appeared, with 
Tom right behind him to cut off any retreat. And 
when Paul saw Joe at the door he quite evidently 
wished to back out. “ Go on ! go on ! ” cried Tom 
behind him. “We want you to go for a ride. 
Jump aboard that horse of Joe’s.” 

“But I don’t want to, Marshall!” cried the 
dandy. 

“You do as I say!” exclaimed Tom, so fiercely 
that Paul climbed awkwardly into Jackie’s saddle, 
in much apprehension. “ You come along with us. 
No balking now,” and with Joe still clinging to the 
leading-strap of Paul’s mount, the little cavalcade 
cantered away from the door. 

“ Where are you taking me ? ” cried the captive. 
“ This isn’t right. I haven’t done anything to you 
fellows.” 

Joe rode close to him and spoke fiercely. “ No. 
You would not dare. But you helped Philip Ches- 
ney and Cleft steal my sister’s black boy. Mercury.” 

“He belonged to Major Chesney. Mr. Philip 
Chesney told me so. And so does the old man.” 

“ So that’s what he told you, hey ? ” cried Tom. 

“Those slaves are Dollie’s property,” Joe said. 
“ They belong to her estate. Now, you led Mer- 
cury off into the woods, and you know Avhere he’s 
been hidden for thirty-six hours. You’ve got to 
show us the place.” 

“ I can’t. I don’t know anything about it ! ” 

371 


'The Eve ^ War 


“ So much the worse for you. If you don’t lead 
us directly to the place, and if we don’t recover 
Luke and Mercury, you’ll be arrested before this 
day is over for participation in the robbery,” de- 
clared Joe. 

‘‘ And that’s right,” added Tom. “ So make a 
clean breast of it. Gladden. It’s your only chance 
to save your own hide, I promise you ! ” 

With this idea working in his brain, there was 
little wonder that Gladden rode on without even 
attempting to call to the passers-by for assistance. 
He was probably in great fear of Chesney and Nat 
Cleft; but these two determined boys riding on 
either side filled him with a lively terror. Few 
people noticed the trio, anyway, at this early hour. 
They rode swiftly out Prospect Street and after 
leaving the confines of Georgetown, plunged into a 
wood-path seldom traveled by horsemen. They 
rode nearly half a mile along this before reaching 
the creek near which Paul admitted he had taken 
Mercury to meet Nat Cleft. 

“ I had nothing to do with it, except to bring the 
boy here,” declared Paul, in a trembling voice. 
“ They told me they did not wish to make a scene 
about the house while Major Chesney was so ill.” 

“ Oh, yes ! oh, yes ! ” interrupted Tom, sharply. 
‘‘We know all about that. But where did Cleft 
take the boy from here ? ” 

“ Up that side path.” 


372 


The Eve of ax 


“ Lead the way then,” said Joe. 

“ Oh, no, no ! ” cried Paul, in desperation. 
“ They’ll shoot me.” 

“ That’s your lookout,” said Tom, roughly. ‘‘ If 
you will get mixed up with such scoundrels, you’ll 
have to take the risk,” and Joe smiled quietly to 
hear these sentiments, remembering that the time 
had been when his old friend was pretty thoroughly 
entangled with Messrs. Chesney and Cleft himself ! 

And Paul, whimpering and almost in tears, was 
forced to ride up the hillside, along a narrow trail at 
right angles with the road they had been following 
and where, by looking over their shoulders, the boys 
could see the peacefully flowing Potomac far below. 
The woods were thick and the path rough. It 
would certainly be a bad place in which to meet 
any enemy and Joe kept his hand upon the lock of 
his rifle, while Tom, with sundry pokes of his gun- 
barrel, urged on their unwilling guide. 


373 


CHAPTEK XXIII 


THE GREAT DAY ARRIVES 

Some distance up the steep hillside was an open 
plateau in the forest. It was well sheltered from 
observation and the cavalcade burst into the clear- 
ing suddenly. What they saw there was quite as 
great a surprise to them as their coming must have 
been to the man who, leaning with his back against 
the wall of a log shanty, smoked his pipe while he 
watched a sullen black boy busy about a camp-fire. 
The man was Nat Cleft; the boy was Mercury. 
The one looked up with a startled cry, dropping his 
pipe to the ground, and reached for his rifle which 
stood by ; the other gave a shriek of delight and 
scurried across the open lawn like a scared rabbit 
toward Joe and his companions. 

“Oh, Mars’ Joe! Mars’ Joe!” shrieked Mer- 
cury. “Sabe me — an’ sabe Unc’ Luke. He tied 
up in dat shanty.” 

J oe waved the boy aside. His eyes were fastened 
upon the surprised Cleft, who had been fairly pin- 
ioned by the unwavering muzzle of Kansom’s rifle. 
“ Don’t touch that gun of yours. Cleft ! ” cried Joe. 
“ Tom, just go over there and relieve him of the 
thing. He might be tempted to use it.” 

374 


The Eve of War 

The friends’ attention being thus taken up with 
the man, they did not notice Gladden who, quietly 
slipping from his saddle, disappeared into the bushes 
in a flash. But it was scarcely probable that Cleft 
had noticed his presence with Joe and Tom, so anx- 
iously did the man eye the threatening rifle barrel. 
Tom quickly disarmed him and then stepped into 
the cabin. “ Joe ! Joe! ” he cried, from the door- 
way, a moment later. “ Here’s poor old Luke with 
wrist and ankle irons on. It’s a shame ! ” 

“That fellow’s got the key to them,” said Joe, 
with confidence, waving his gun at Cleft. 

“ Ho, I haven’t,” growled Cleft. But Tom went 
through his pockets most scientifically and brought 
the key to light. Soon the black man was free and 
with some satisfaction, no doubt. Uncle Luke 
shackled Cleft instead. Hothing, however, could 
control Cleft’s tongue and the man reviled Joe 
abominably. “ But you have not seen the last of 
this business!” yelled Cleft. “We know what 
you are now, Kansom. And your Black Aboli- 
tionist President will never reach Washington 
alive. He’ll never get through Baltimore. This 
very day ” 

Joe thought he had said enough, so he stopped 
him with the remark : “ Sorry, but you’re a mighty 

poor prophet. Cleft. Mr. Lincoln arrived at Wash- 
ington this morning at six o’clock. I came down 
on the same train he did. He is here, and as sure 
375 


‘The Eve of 

as he is here, he will be inaugurated on the fourth 
of March.” 

Cleft’s mouth shut like a trap and he stared at 
the boy with bulging eyes. Tom’s amazement was 
only a degree less. “ Is it really so, Joe ? Has the 
new President come ? ” 

“ Safe and sound, old fellow.” 

Tom breathed a sigh of relief and his face lit up 
suddenly. “Thank God!” he muttered, in Joe’s 
ear. “ I have scarcely been able to sleep for the 
past week, thinking about it.” 

“ He’s not inaugurated yet ; but he will be, I feel 
confident,” Joe said. “And I can tell you, Tom, 
Mr. Lincoln is not the sort of a person we have all 
been given to believe. He is the greatest man I 
ever saw. He stands head and shoulders, mentally 
as well as physically, above the crowd ! ” 

But this was not the time for such discussion. 
They learned from Luke that the Chesney carriage 
horses and the old covered wagon were at a neigh- 
boring farmer’s and Tom brought them to the 
nearest point on the highroad in half an hour. 
They bundled Cleft into the wagon, still breathing 
vengeance, and left him at the police station on the 
way home, entering a charge of robbery against 
him. But whether this charge could be sustained 
or not, Joe was not sure. The man he most desired 
to see just then was Mr. Kirk. 

And his wish was gratified when the party came 

376 


The Eve of 'Wax 


to Chesney House. Mr. Kirk was on the porch. 
But it was not he whom Joe first saw. Philip had 
returned and with much bravado was demanding 
entrance to his father’s house. Lawyer Kirk was 
listening to his raging in his usual impassive man- 
ner, walking up and down the porch with his hands 
behind him, while Dollie and Mammy Laura stood 
at the open door. As Joe hurried up the path the 
lawyer recognized the boy by a brief nod. He be- 
gan to speak, however : “ Mr. Chesney, your ex- 

ceptions to my actions are taken with much — er — 
force ; but you must remember that I am acting, as 
far as I am able, as your father would wish me to 
act. I do not believe Major Chesney desires your 
presence in this house. There was a brief time 
when I had my — er — doubts about this ; but now I 
have been assured.” 

“ What are you talking about ? ” demanded 
Philip, angrily. My father can’t speak. He has 
not told you what his wishes are. I say I have 
rights here. I believe he was about to do me justice 
when he was so unfortunately stricken. I have 
consulted legal authority. That old paper I was 
forced to sign when I — when I left Washington, 
years ago, would not stand in court. A man can- 
not sign away his rights to his father’s estate in any 
such way.” 

“ Then your best course is to wait quietly until 
such time as you may be called upon to prove your 
377 


The Eve of Yfzx 


rights before the judges of probate,” said the law- 
yer, gravely. “Meanwhile, I believe I know my 
client’s wishes. If I do not know his, there is one 
other person before whom I, as well as the rest of 
you, must — er — bow in this house. He it is who 
must say whether 3^ou shall remain or not.” 

“I’d like to know who that is?” cried Philip 
loudly, and then turned suddenly to see Joe at his 
elbow, while both Luke and Mercury followed their 
young master up the path. Philip stopped, aghast. 

“ Major Chesney’s adopted son is the head of this 
household,” said the lawyer, blandly. “ I have 
tried to explain this fact before. It lies with him 

whether you remain ” 

“ Oh, Joe, Joe ! ” cried Dollie from the doorway, 
“send him away.” 

Joe stopped before Chesney and gazed upon him 
with calmness. “We have all learned to comply 
with Miss Dollie’s wishes here, sir,” he said quietly. 
“ You will not return, if you please.” 

Philip’s rage burst out in a tirade against the 
boy, when Joe said to him more sharply : “ Sir 1 

your comrade. Cleft, is now in the police station. 
Unless you wish to join him there, leave these 
premises at once. Mammy Laura will pack your 
bags and you can leave word to which hotel you 
wish them sent. Good-day, sir ! ” 

Philip was consumed with rage. He half turned 
as though to follow Joe’s advice without speaking. 

378 


The Eve of WdiV 


But he could not do this ; one more fling he allowed 
himself at the man who had foiled him : “ Don’t 

forget that this is not the last of me, sir ! ” he ex- 
claimed, glaring at the imperturbable lawyer. “ I 
am the acting guardian of that girl,” and his long 
finger indicated Dollie in the doorway. “ You can- 
not affright me with your threats of arrest. I had 
a perfect right to send these niggers south.” 

“ But you will not have that right long,” Mr. Kirk 
interposed. ‘‘ For one thing I have called the at- 
tention of the courts to the fact that you have 
never purged yourself of that old indictment for 
forgery, and are therefore not a proper person to be 
charged with the care of Miss Dollie’s estate. So, 
Mr. Philip Chesney, make up your mind to be shorn 
of your brief authority at once. And if your friend 
Prettyman ever comes back, he’ll have to explain 
why he delegated you for the position at all.” 

“I am not afraid, I tell you!” shouted Philip. 
“And I will yet prove that I have rights here 
that cannot be gainsaid. You will have hard 
work, sir, to prove that that unfinished will refers 
to this young whipper-snapper,” and he turned 
his baleful glance upon Joe Kansom. 

“I pray, Philip Chesney,” said the lawyer, 
solemnly, “ that there will be no need of taking that 
paper into court. But if there were that need. 
Major Chesney’s real intentions regarding both his 
adopted son and you, can be established by other 
379 


‘The Eve War 


testimony than that. And now let me warn you. 
The Attorney-General is about to resurrect the 
papers relating to that little forgery of yours. I am 
determined that you shall leave not only this house 
but the city itself. I am assured, as I said before, 
of Major Chesney’s attitude toward you. You were 
not reconciled to him on the afternoon he was 
taken ill. You have forced yourself in here and, 
with your smooth and villainous tongue, have dis- 
turbed the peace of those under this roof. Now, 
sir, go away, and I warn you to keep out of my path, 
or I shall forget that you were ever your father’s 
son ! ” 

At that the young man went raging from the 
place. As he passed Tom Marshall at the gate he 
scowled upon him, too. But Tom could give him 
as good as he sent in that line, and it was only the 
presence of others within earshot that kept young 
Marshall from showering his contempt upon the 
man who had sought to enmesh him in the web of 
the Baltimore conspirators. In a few moments 
Philip Chesney was out of sight, and it was then 
that Joe Kansom said, in a low voice, to the lawyer : 
“ How shall we save Dollie’s property for her, sir ? 
As I understand it. Dr. Prettyman left everything 
in Philip’s care — stocks, bonds and all.” 

‘‘ No ? ” cried the lawyer, to whom this certainly 
was news. 

“ Yes, indeed. So I am assured by Dollie herself.” 

380 



jsjow, SIR, I WARN YOU TO KEEP 
OUT OF MY PATH !" 



The Eve ^ War 


“ Humph ! For once I reckon IVe made a false 
move,” muttered the lawyer, and without another 
word he strode hastily away from the house, his 
long coat-tails flapping behind him most ridiculously. 
He went to obtain a court order restraining Philip 
from disturbing Dollie’s securities ; but from the 
moment he left his father’s house, the Major’s son 
dropped completely out of sight and the court officer 
could not find him. 

Public matters did not so much hold Joe’s atten- 
tion for the next few days, although he learned that 
his company would be placed on Inauguration Day 
so as to assist in guarding the President. The 
sympathizers with the newly formed Confederacy 
were by no means inactive because Lincoln had 
escaped the Baltimore plot. Only a day or two 
before the inauguration, Colonel Stone learned that 
an attempt would be made to blow up the platform 
on which the President would stand to take the oath 
of office. A guard was at once stationed there and 
at daybreak on the great occasion — that morning to 
which the North had for weeks been looking long- 
ingly as well as fearfully — a trusted battalion of 
district troops. Colonel Tait’s National Guard, 
formed a semicircle about the platform so that no 
person could approach it whose business there was 
not plain. 

And Washington certainly was crowded on that 
fourth of March. People had walked the streets 

381 


The Eve War 


all night because there were no hotel accommoda- 
tions for them. They were packed in before the 
inaugural platform until all one could see from 
above was a great, undulating sea of upturned, ear- 
nest faces. The JN^ational Eifles company was sta- 
tioned so that Joe could plainly see the platform 
and all that went on upon it. He saw Mr. Bu- 
chanan and Mr. Lincoln come side by side upon the 
stage, the former so withered and bowed with age 
that he looked little more than half a man in com- 
parison with the towering figure of the President- 
elect. When Mr. Lincoln finally advanced and was 
introduced by Senator Baker, of Oregon, he carried 
a cane and his roll of manuscript. As he looked 
about for a place to stand his high hat, there oc- 
curred one of those little incidents which showed 
how, at this time of national fearfulness and uncer- 
tainty, even former enemies turned to Mr. Lincoln 
as the hope of a united North. Stephen A. Doug- 
las, the President’s political antagonist for many 
years, and the candidate who had pressed him 
hardest in the election of the previous fall, stepped 
briskly forward and took the hat which Mr. Lincoln 
held doubtfully in his hand. “ If I cannot be Presi- 
dent,” said the great Douglas, “ I at least can hold 
the President’s hat ! ” 

After the inaugural, the President was escorted 
to the White House, and the military companies 
were allowed to return to their armories. Joe got 
382 


The Eve ^ War 


excused from the ranks, intending to find Dollie, 
whom he had persuaded to come into town to see 
the ceremonies with Tom and Amy Marshall. But 
as he pushed through the throng at a corner of a 
side street his attention was suddenly attracted by 
the figure of a man who was likewise hurrying 
from the direction of the Capitol grounds. Joe 
could not mistake the broad-brimmed hat and long 
cloak which Philip Chesney always wore. He 
turned to follow at once, feeling it advisable to run 
the Major’s son to earth. 

Philip did not glance around, and within two 
blocks entered the doorway of an ofiice over the 
broad window of which was the name of a promi- 
nent Washington banker. There was no opportu- 
nity for Joe to send word to Mr. Kirk, nor time to 
hunt up the court ofiicer who was trying to serve 
the papers on Philip. After a moment’s hesitation 
he followed his enemy into the building. 

It was a holiday and only by some special ar- 
rangement could Philip have found the bank open. 
Joe saw him beyond the glass partition talking with 
the gentleman who managed the concern, and the 
boy pushed in. “ I have waited here an hour for 
you, Mr. Chesney,” said the manager, without see- 
ing that another visitor had entered the outer office, 
would do this for no other customer of the bank, 

but as you are called away hurriedly ” 

‘‘ The town has grown too hot for me. I’m off 

383 


The Eve War 


for Charleston. General Beauregard assumed com- 
mand there yesterday and Sumtet* will now be bat- 
tered down. They’ve inaugurated their Black 
Abolitionist President in spite of us; now let the 
North make the most of it.” 

“ Yes, yes ; these are very troublous times,” said 
the banker, doubtfully. “ Now these papers which 
were left in our charge by Dr. Prettyman and 
yourself ” 

“ Must not be taken out of your safe, sir ! ” cried 
Joe Kansom, hurrying to the window in the screen. 
“ I beg of you do not open that safe ! There is a 
court order in existence forbidding Philip Chesney 
from acting further as Miss Chesney’s guardian. I 
pray you, sir, send to Mr. Kirk. He can tell you 
that I speak the truth.” 

Philip wheeled at the boy’s first word, and while 
the surprised manager of the bank listened, turning 
away himself from the safe which he had been 
about to open, the Major’s son slowly drew nearer 
to the little window at which Joe’s face appeared. 
Suddenly, Philip sprang forward and thrust his 
pistol through the opening. “I’ll have your life 
for this, Joe Kansom ! ” he exclaimed. 

But Joe had not been blind, and the instant the 
pistol appeared, he advanced the muzzle of his rifle, 
knocked the smaller weapon aside, and pressed the 
long tube against Philip Chesney’s breast. “ Don’t 
you move ! ” he panted. “ My finger’s on the trig- 
384 


T^he Eve of War 


ger, and you’ll never get to Charleston, or anywhere 
else, if I shoot ! ” 

“ Gentlemen ! gentlemen ! ” cried the banker. 
“ What does this mean, pray ? You will kill each 
other. Put down your gun. Master Kansom ! I 
give you my word I will not turn the securities 
over to any person until I am assured of the rights 
of the case.” 

Philip had fallen sullenly back. “ Lay your 
pistol on that counter ! ” commanded Joe, sharply. 
“I wouldn’t trust you with it when my back’s 
turned. You tried to shoot me from behind once be- 
fore, I understand. I’ll not give you another chance.” 

The man’s eyes dropped before the steady gaze 
of his accuser, and, in utter silence, he came from 
behind the counter and walked to the door. There 
he hesitated a moment and shot another glance at 
Joe. He sought for several moments for speech 
before he could say : “ There’ll be a day of reckon- 
ing between us yet, J oe Kansom. It may be a long 
time coming, but when it does, look out ! When 
the armies of the South march into Washington 
you’ll find me not the powerless man I am now. 
It will be my turn then.” 

“ Don’t threaten, sir,” returned Joe, with scorn. 
“And if your plan to march on Washington is no 
more successful than that to kill the President at 
Baltimore, we shall not see you here for some time, 
I reckon, Mr. Chesney.” 

385 


The Eve ^ War 


Philip dashed out of the banking rooms, and 
flung to the floor behind him. Joe had the 
satisfaction of knowing later that Chesney crossed 
the river into Virginia that very hour, and as 
neither he nor Dr. Prettyman would be likely to 
return, Dollie could quite naturally ask the court 
for the appointment of another guardian and 
trustee. And this time she would not be likely 
to make a mistake in her choice, so Joe fol- 
lowed his enemy from the bank with a lightened 
heart. 

Knowing that he had missed his friends, he 
hurried on to Chesney House afoot. Tom and 
his sister had taken Dollie home and they were 
all in the drawing-room when Joe arrived. Be- 
fore joining them, the boy stepped quietly into 
the library to see how the Major fared. Mammy 
Laura was sound asleep in her chair at the farther 
end of the room. The nurse, who had been re- 
called when Philip left the house, was out of the 
room for a moment. But the Major was awake 
and his eyes lit up with pleasure at sight of Joe’s 
face. The boy saw the old man glance over his 
uniform and military accoutrements, and he said, in 
explanation : 

“Mr. Lincoln has just been inaugurated, sir. 
My company was one of those who guarded him.” 
Then he hesitated but, looking down into the 
kindly countenance, he added, softly: “He is a 
336 


rhe Eve of War 


good man, sir — a good and a great man. He will 
save the country.” 

And as the pleased look did not die out of Major 
Chesney’s eyes, Joe felt that the old gentleman ap- 
proved of his loyalty, after all. He went into the 
drawing-room in a moment and found the two 
girls in tears, while Tom’s face was gloomy enough. 
“ Old man ! ” said Marshall, coming to him, “ we’re 
going away. Mother approves. She and Amy 
will go to my aunt’s house in Kichmond, and I — 
well, Joe, I am going to join Brigadier-General 
Beauregard at Charleston. As you said, the part- 
ing of the ways has come in earnest for us 
all.” 

“ So I feared, Tom. We can’t all see things in 
just the same way. That was another thing I told 
you long ago,” and he smiled, gravely. 

“ No, old man ! We can’t see some things alike. 
But you’ve got a clearer eye than I have. I can- 
not give up the South, and I believe she is right in 
this controversy ; but I have studied out something 
else these last few days and — and — well, I can’t 
talk about it, Joe! You know how I feel. Sup- 
pose I had drawn that red ballot and been ap- 
pointed to kill Abraham Lincoln ! ” 

“ Don’t say a word about it,” urged J oe, in a 
low voice. “ It’s all right.” 

“ No, it isn’t — not quite.” Tom took another step 
toward him and held out his hand. “ I was wrong, 

387 


The Eve of 


old man,” he whispered, brokenly. “Will you 
shake hands ? ” 

“With all my heart,” returned Joe, with equal 
warmth. Then they crossed the room and sat 
down beside their sisters for the last long talk they 
would have before their separation. They forgot 
the time and only the frightened voice of the nurse 
aroused them: “Mr. Joe! Miss Dollie ! Come 
quick. Something has happened to Major Ches- 
ney,” she cried. The quartette sprang up and Joe 
and Dollie responded instantly. The nurse bustled 
before them through the hall, saying: “I have 
just come down-stairs. I must have fallen asleep 
on my bed. I looked into the library and 
there ” 

She threw back the portiere. The bed was 
empty and it was upon the other end of the room 
all their eyes were fixed as they crowded in. 
Mammy Laura still slept heavily ; but a familiar 
figure sat in the old armchair at the Major’s 
writing table. 

“ Grandfather ! ” gasped Dollie, running forward. 

He sat with his head thrown slightly back, the 
afternoon sunlight shimmering upon his thin gray 
hair, his right arm resting upon the table beside 
him ; and as they approached, it was seen that the 
fingers tightly gripped a quill pen with which he 
always wrote. 

“ He is asleep ! ” cried Tom. 

388 


T^he Eve ^ War 


The nurse felt quickly of the cold forehead ; 
then of the heart. With suddenly recovered 
strength he had dragged himself from the bed to 
his old seat, inspired to continue the task he had 
begun when smitten more than two months before. 
But this false strength was but the prelude of the 
second and fatal stroke. 

He is dead ! ” whispered the nurse, awe-stricken. 

Tom came nearer to the table. He picked up 
the document which lay beneath the Major’s hand 
and looked at it in surprise. This, with the other 
papers, had lain there since Hew Year’s morning. 
‘‘ See ! ” exclaimed young Marshall. “ Why, this 
reads like a will. Joe — Dollie ! The Major wrote 
this ; his name is signed here. The ink is scarcely 
dry on it. Listen : ‘ All the residue of my estate, 
wheresoever found, both real and personal, I give 
and bequeath to my dear son, Joseph Kansom 
Chesney.’ ” 

‘‘ Oh, Joe 1 ” whispered Dollie, and hid her tear- 
filled eyes against his coat. Joe looked into the 
peaceful face. The eyes were sightless now, but 
the smile still rested upon the Major’s lips. 


THE END 


389 














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